Silver & Rose
by BlueAngel132
Summary: Jade BelleRose has managed to stun everybody in her year with her untimely appearance. Nobody knew that new students could be admitted in their fourth year at Hogwarts. She takes a liking to a pair of identical redheads, and from there becomes an integral part of their journey through the dark times awaiting them.
1. Jade BelleRose

The footpath leading down the street from _Pixie_ was packed with students eager to get out of the cold, and into the glare of obnoxious flashing lights. Among them was a group of four students, consisting of two identical redheads- and a vivacious brunette. A tall boy with deadlocks joined them, receiving several glares from students in line behind the three.

"About time, Jordan. We're almost there." The older twin said, his arm slung around the brunette.

"Snape kept me back to clean up Goyle's spectacle." The boy replied with clear distaste for both the people he just mentioned.

"I told you not to rile him up. He's got some twisted vendetta against Gryffindor." The twin replied.

"And shampoo." The brunette added seriously. The three boys laughed, and the one who was holding on to her lingered on her smile for a second longer than he should have.

"Wrist bands" The mountain of a bouncer remarked, eyeing the group suspiciously. They complied and showed the bouncer neon green bands that they received with their entrance ticket stubs.

"Alright. Go on." He grunted, still side-eyeing the twins.

"Almost as big as Hagrid, that one." Lee Jordan commented as his dreadlocks swung with his walk.

Fred Weasley, the younger twin smirked and remarked "Wonder who would win in a fight", thinking out loud.

His twin paused for a moment and said "Definitely Hagrid. No question."

Jade BelleRose smiled at her friend fondly. He was always loyal to those close to him, even if it was unfounded. George caught her look and responded with a similar one.

"Will you two stop eye-fucking and come get some shots?" The other red head shouted over the music. Blushing, the pair hurried to meet him at the bar. They had passed through a dark corridor and entered a large room with high ceilings. True to the student's wishes, there were glaring lights flashing from several places, and two bars on either side of the room. The floor seemed to vibrate as they made their way to the one closer to them, shoving past warm, thrashing bodies who were trying to keep up with the techno sounding beats.

How Fred managed to convey an order of eight shots of firewhiskey to the bartender, Jade could not figure out, but she gratefully accepted hers all the same. The drink was true to its name, burning her insides and draining any lingering chill that managed to survive the walk past the dance floor.

She already felt the tips of her fingers loosening up with the rest of her muscles and smiled as she downed the next one. Next to her, the boys kept up and all of them had sloppy smiles on their faces to match how they felt.

She finally started to notice her surroundings, and saw that a very attractive gentleman, with dark hair up to his chin and a body fit enough to be in a magazine, was looking at her from across the bar.  
She smirked as she met his gaze and waved lightly. Smiling, she turned around to the boys who had started to try and impress some of the witches on the dance floor. The sight only made her laugh as Lee, who had taken a couple more shots than he should have, was having trouble balancing himself and was falling on the girl who accepted his advances. George stood on the sidelines, an expression of amusement on his face, watching for the moment when Lee would inevitable lose his balance and embarrass himself even more than he had already.

Fred had gotten himself busy with a girl on the side of the dance floor, and was slowly moving with her, more steady on his feet. As Jade finished her mental headcount, she felt somebody tap on her shoulder, and turned to find the mystery brunette.

He was more attractive up close, with a defined jawline and high cheekbones.  
"Fancy a dance?" He asked in a deep voice. Jade took his hand and he led her to the dance floor where they started to get more intimate.

His hands wound up around her waist as she moved her body to the music, curving and enticing him. His smirk remained as they moved closer as the music slowed down to a song that Hermione Granger would have described as "vulgar". He was not too bad at keeping up with her pace, and she found herself more impressed as the night went along.

"I'm Blaise. Zabini." He said into her ear, still holding her with both hands.  
"You're a good dancer, Blaise Zabini." She replied, not missing a beat.

He grinned and moved closer to her and their lips met. Before his eyes closed, she noticed they were a stunning grey, and they swam in her head as they moved deeper into the kiss.

From not too far away, George watched Jade and the stranger get closer as his palms balled into fists.  
He could feel anger twisting up inside of him like a snake, and he felt for his wand, ready to hex the brute who was getting too much from her. Only his twin's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Oi! Whats happened to Jordan?" Fred asked, holding the hand of a frail, very drunk blonde witch.  
George's attention turned back to the spot it was supposed to be focused on, and saw his mate sprawled on the floor with his dance partner looking confused and slightly afraid.

"That's alright, I've got him." He shouted to her, pulling Lee up by his arms, and slinging one of them over his shoulder. He dragged him over to the bar and made him drink water until he was able to function properly on two feet.

"Lee Jordan, if you think I am carrying you up a hill and back into the castle, you are sorely mistaken sir." He said very seriously, his eyes back to searching the crowd for Jade. Lee only chuckled, knowing very well that George wouldn't have hesitated doing exactly that if he needed him to, and pointed out Jade in the crowd.

"Over there mate, by the staircase."  
Jade and the mystery brunette were now having a rather pleasant conversation, although the young man's hand was still wrapped around her waist like a snake.

"What the fuck is she doing? He could be dangerous." He muttered furiously.

"We're in a club called _Pixie,_ not exactly a hot spot for dark wizards, I'd say." Lee replied flippantly. He knew that wasn't why his friend was angry, but he couldn't help the situation.

"Should've left you on the ground." George replied, sulking on a bar stool next to him.

"Look mate, why don't you try to have some fun? Have another shot, find someone to take your mind off her."

George considered the sensible suggestion his best friend had thrown at him, and looked around. It was useless, however, considering there was nobody else on his mind besides the beautiful brunette who was cozying up to a likely sleaze. He noticed when she first took a look at him across the bar, and found himself focusing on Lee's intoxication to keep a clear head. When he saw that they were dancing, he could only blame himself for not asking her first.

It was past 3 am when Fred suggested returning, sans his petite blonde companion of the night.  
"Where is your little friend?" Lee remarked.

"You could see what I was doing, all the way from the floor?" Fred quipped, getting a short laugh out of George.

"Did she get tired of all your clever jokes?" Lee replied.

"No, but I found out she was a Slytherin, and well, that was that." Fred responded coolly.

"Yikes, dodged a bullet there." George added, raising his eyebrows.

House hate wasn't exactly a novel idea to the trio, considering how difficult the Slytherins tried to make their lives, and vice versa.

"Wheres Jade?" Fred asked, scanning the dwindling numbers. As if on cue, she appeared in front of them, not making sentences as eloquently as she could have been.

"Hi!" she squeaked, throwing herself off balance and stumbling a bit.

George steadied her with a hand on her shoulder, and was pleased that her date for the night seemed to have disappeared.

"Where's your friend?" Lee repeated, and George had to push down the urge to punch his friend.

"Let's not even!" She slurred, walking toward the exit. George had appreciated what she was wearing, from the moment she met them in the common room earlier that day. Her figure was well loved by the black dress that clung onto her curves perfectly. Her auburn hair fell down in it's natural waves, and bounced as she walked.

Following her quickly, they made their way back to the castle, the cold air sobering them up slightly.

"Had a good night then?" Fred smirked, nudging her so that she almost fell over. George shot him a look and moved to her side, putting his arm around her waist for support.

"Thanks Georgie" she said gratefully, wrapping her arm around his waist too.

"It wasn't bad." She grinned.

"Why'd you ditch your date?" Again, George unconsciously tightened his grip on her, and wondered why on earth everybody was so damn invested in that bulky git.

"Ego." She replied, rolling her eyes. George furrowed his brows but said nothing. They managed to dodge the caretaker Filch and his watchful cat, and made their way into the common room without a problem. Fred and Lee immediately said their goodnights and went to bed, albeit stumbling slightly.

"I don't think I can do stairs right now." Jade said, fully leaning on George's tall figure. He looked down at her unfocused eyes and thought better of leaving her to her inebriation.

He helped her up with stairs, careful to make sure she didn't slip and successfully brought her up to her four poster bed, allowing her to slip into it.

"You're so good to me, George Weasley." She said fondly, sitting up and smiling at him. His stomach lurched and he smiled at the gorgeous girl who was still staring at him with a curious look in her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, get some rest." He said quietly, not forgetting her actions at the club.

"Wait! Can you stay with me?" She said as soon as he turned around to leave.

"You'll be fine, you're going to fall asleep in no time." At this, her face fell and she nodded somberly and lay down. She hadn't expected a refusal, and her insides were beginning to warm up.

At the look on her face, he instantly regretted whatever he said.

"I'll just need to change, how's that?" he said gently, as she turned, her eyes lighting up at this.

"Promise you'll come back?" she demanded, still swaying as she sat up.

"I promise." He accepted, his eyes fixed on hers, wondering how he even denied her in the first place. She smiled at his and squeezed his hand. When he left, she changed out of her clothes and into a comfortable T shirt, not daring to use magic to take off her makeup as she didn't trust herself.

Sitting down, she noticed her curtains parting, and a tall red head entering, also in his pajamas.

She got into bed, and made room for him. As he slid under the covers, he couldn't help but feel excited that she wanted him there. As pathetic as it was, considering she just made out with another guy not too long ago.

She hugged his torso and put her head on the crook of his neck, and sighed. The smell of her hair, candyfloss and rain, was enough to drive any hostile thoughts from his head.

He put his arms around her waist and sighed into the top of her head. _I wish I knew what you wanted from me, Jade BelleRose._

"You didn't dance with me, tonight." She mumbled suddenly into his chest.  
"You seemed otherwise occupied." He replied stiffening under her arms.  
"Yeah well, I wanted you to ask me first." She retorted, frowning into his very soft t shirt.

He immediately felt confused and looked down to see her eyes shut. He stroked her auburn hair, wondering how he was lucky enough to be here.

"Didn't stop you from getting to know that git _very well_." He said, closing his eyes and trying to get the sight of them out of his mind.

She didn't say anything, but continued to trace patterns on his back with her fingers. She didn't know what to tell him. They weren't dating, they weren't together, but they had too much to do with each other. He was hers. She thought darkly of what she would do if she ever saw him kissing another girl.

"You're right. I'm sorry." She said softly, looking up at him. Her brown eyes were still glassy, but very apologetic, and had him melting instantly.

"Sorry for what? I'm not your boyfriend." He replied, staring ahead at the wall. His tone was very sullen.

"I know, I'm still sorry I did it." She mumbled back into his shoulders, moving her hand into his hair and playing with it. His stomach did the untimely flipping, and he internally sighed.

"Thanks." He replied, full of a mess of emotions he couldn't separate from each other. His eyes dropped to her face, which was staring up at him. He planted a kiss on her forehead gently.

She smiled into his shoulders and whispered goodnight, before drifting off into a deep and well needed rest.

It took George a while to get his thoughts calm enough for him to fall asleep, but when he did, it was with his favourite scent in the world right next to him.


	2. Darius Silver

The morning brought a steady stream of babble in the common room by midday, as it was a Saturday and the first day of a long awaited weekend.

Jade was surprised to wake up to an empty bed, but not surprised with her throbbing head. After she waited for as long as she possibly could bear, she started the long, tedious process of getting ready. After half an hour of a battle with her unforgiving body, she managed to make it to the Great Hall for breakfast, almost rueful as she saw her companions from the former night.

Fred gave her a big smile and wave for which she was grateful, while George focused more on his plate of bacon and eggs. She felt a kind of twisting inside her gut, almost regretting what happened with her mystery guy. Blaise Zabini, if that was his real name.

"Top of the morning to you!" Fred called, making her cringe.

"Morning Freddie" she braced herself for the inevitable tirade.

"Did you have a good nights sleep?" he asked, winking as she sat next to his twin, who was much more reserved.

"Yeah, it was great. You seem quite pleased today."

"Well, I feel much better than Lee, or yourself -no offence intended of course- are looking!" he said gleefully, still grinning.

"Where is Lee?" she asked, now realizing he wasn't at the table.

"Over at the end, trying to get Alicia to talk to him." George finally spoke, to a round of chuckles from Fred.

"Morning" she said meekly to George, while Fred tried to shout over at Lee and cheer him on.

"Morning, how are you feeling?" he said with a grin. A feeling of relief washed over her. For whatever reason, she felt uncomfortable at how the night had ended, and was wondering if he felt the same.

"Not the best, but I'm alright. What about you?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Just fine?"  
"What do you want me to say?"  
"Dunno. Just whatever you're thinking, I suppose."  
"Let's not do that right now."  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No." He said with a smile, and an expression Jade was not familiar with. "Not at all." With that he continued to work on his brunch, leaving Jade perplexed and slightly annoyed.

Lee got up and joined them with a solemn face.

"What's going on with Alicia?" Jade inquired

"She heard about our night out"  
"And?"  
"About how I was all over some girl! Blimey, I don't even remember her face or name, that is, if I even asked her for it!" he said, frustrated, stabbing at a sausage on Fred's plate.

"Oi! Get your own, mate" Fred tried to fend him off, but ended up almost falling off the wooden seats.

"I don't even know the broad!"

"The only thing you were all over, was the floor" George added helpfully.

"Yeah well, could you tell Alicia that?!" Lee finished, managing to pry a second sausage from Fred.

Jade tried to conceal her smile, and was nudged in the ribs by George who was looking quite smug.

"What?" she asked, unable to hide her grin from him.

"But I wasn't the only one having a little too much fun last night" Lee said suddenly, looking at Jade with a most scandalous expression.

She suddenly found her breakfast plate very interesting

"Yes, do tell us why you didn't end up leaving with that massive bloke who was quite familiar with your tongue by the end of the night" Fred said causing George to gag and get more aggressive while trying to get more food onto his plate. This resulted in split pumpkin juice all over Lee who had leapt up in shock. All in all, Jade got quite a laugh off the scene, and made the spill disappear with a quick flick of her wand.

"Told you, ego." She said cuttingly, trying to fill her mouth with food for an excuse to not answer.

"His ego didn't seem like a problem when you were making out"  
"Yeah that's because we weren't really conversing, were we?"  
"You were near the staircase" George said quietly, sounding hurt. His twin shot him a look and bit his lip, unsure of how to handle this.

"Yeah, and that's when his personality instantly repelled me." Jade continued, unaware of the stolen glances. George felt mildly satisfied and even grinned.  
"What'd he say?" Lee managed, a mouth full of Fred's breakfast, still.  
"Had quite a problem with Gryffindors."  
"Oh no, he was a snake?" Fred said, with disgust.  
"Yes, I suppose." She replied, shrugging.  
"There's no supposing here! That's repulsive!" Fred said shortly.  
"You're so melodramatic. He was just a bit of a prick."  
"Also, wasn't your little witch a Slytherin too?" Lee piped up  
"Yes, and I got rid of her the instant I found out!" Fred said defensively.  
"Was she rude?" Jade inquired  
"Dunno. Probably." Fred said dismissively.  
Jade rolled her eyes but said nothing. Slytherin hate between the twins was almost in their blood. Like some primal instinct for repulsion of the house. It was not completely unfounded, to their merit.

"But that's not really what I meant!" Lee said wickedly  
"Seeing as the only thing you saw at the club was the ceiling?" Jade asked idly, toying with her eggs.  
"Never mind that!" Lee replied, flushing. "I meant you two" he waved his fork between George and her, making her blush slightly.

"I don't know what you mean of that comment" She replied, determined to not give him the satisfaction. George's lips were pursed as he looked over the conversation.

"I know you didn't go to bed alone." Lee added, winking salaciously

"If you're referring to George, he was a perfect gentleman." She said tartly, not wavering.

"That's such a disappointment, brother!" Fred called, shaking his head in disapproval.

George merely chuckled, and took a sip out of his goblet.

"Not too much of a gentleman now? You don't want to be a bore, George!" Lee added, shaking his head ominously.

"Come off it, you two" he said, now slightly blushing too, turning to look at Jade. She couldn't help but smile at him as she remembered (only vaguely) how he had slept next to her at her request, and helped her get back. He really had been quite the gentleman.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm going to bring all those sausages back up if I have to look at this any longer" Fred said, throwing his fork down and looking repulsed.

George laughed and threw his arm around Jade's waist to pull her closer to him on the seat. She leaned into him, and laughed with him. Loving the feeling of his warm, strong body so close to her.

Their scene was interrupted by a tall, lean brunette with silvery blue eyes and an incredibly handsome face.

"Hi Jade" he called as he approached. George's hand on her waist seemed to tighten and his body stiffened beside her.

"Darius!" she replied fondly, not sure if standing up would upset the red head next to her. Darius Silver nodded slightly at the rest of them, but spoke only to her.

"I was wondering if you were planning on going to Hogsmead today?" he asked, not acknowledging anyone else on the table.

"I hadn't thought about it actually" she replied honestly.

"Well, would you like to go then?" He asked sheepishly, grinning like a school boy. She loved his smile, it was such an infectious, perfect one.

"Sure, we can go to Rosmerta's" she suggested. Darius Silver was her best friend for about a year now. The twins and Lee did not exactly take a liking to him seeing as they thought he was a know-it-all Ravenclaw, a premise they believed was fit to disprove of him for.

"Great! I'll meet you outside your common room at 3."  
"Sounds good" And with that, he left for the table with blue draping once more.

You had to have a certain amount of confidence to come up to Jade, seeing as she was always surrounded by the twins. They were both above six feet in height, and although they were lean, years of Quidditch had given them broad shoulders, and muscular, fit, torsos. They towered over most people, and didn't approve of suitors who tried to get her to separate from them. Lee Jordan, while not as tall as the twins, was still taller than average and built quite heavy.

Jade didn't mind, she thought that her company made sure that the guys who did approach her were confident, and daring. Darius had no qualms about coming up to her, as he usually just pretended they didn't exist.

"So, you two are going out now?" Fred asked, the twinge of bitterness in his voice did not offend Jade, who knew it was only because of his twin.

"You know the answer. Just to the Three Broomsticks."

"He seems to want to spend an awful lot of time with you." This time it was George, whose tone was quieter and more stoic.

"So do you lot, I'm a riot." She said, putting her arm around his waist and leaning into his chest. How could he doubt her, after so long?

That got a grin out of him, and he rolled his eyes, "whatever keeps you going".

They returned to the common room, and got their brooms. It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was out at long last, and the quidditch field looked far too tempting. Ginny and Harry joined them for a few games, after which they all landed down quite exhausted and ready to shower.

"I'd say you're ready for the team, Ginny!" Jade said, beaming at the shorter red headed girl.

"Thanks, that's the dream!" she replied, blushing, and looking over at Harry.

When they returned to the common room, Jade didn't notice the time and was late to see Darius. A fact that kept George's grin lasting for longer than it should have.

"Well then, I'll see you lot around!" she said hurriedly as she started to climb out the portrait hole.

Darius was waiting for her in a checked blue shirt, and navy cardigan. He didn't look upset, but rather grinned very largely when he saw her.

"I'm sorry! We played a game, and then I lost track of time" she apologized, going up to him and hugging him. He just laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.

"You're worth the wait, Jade BelleRose."

She rolled her eyes and they made their way to the village. The Three Broomsticks was packed as usual, and the steady stream of talk meant nobody paid much attention to the very attractive pair that walked in and got a table in the corner. Darius bought them two butterbeers and they began to catch up.

Being with him was effortless, and there were never any awkwardness. Jade felt comfortable being open with him, because he knew so much about her that she didn't have to be anybody but herself.

"So, what'd you do last night?" he asked, sipping his bottle.

"Checked out _Pixie_ " She said offhandedly, avoiding the inevitable judgmental look she was about to get.

"That absolutely ghastly club near the village?" He smirked.

"Ghastly?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I would think clubbing to be above your tastes."

"Hilarious." She held in a laugh as he scrutinized her, waiting for details.

"We just went down to check it out, and it was… interesting."

"Interesting how?" he pushed, knowing there was more with the look in her eyes.

"Well, Lee passed out in the club. On the dance floor. And took a friend of his he met down with him." She offered, not wanting to bring up anything else. He smirked, and looking knowingly at her.

"Alright, alright! There was someone!" She caved, putting her head into her hands. His smile flickered as a small tinge of jealously went through him like a breeze, but he recovered before she looked at him through her fingers.

"A boy?" He asked casually, nursing his butterbeer. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, a boy." "Just one then?" "Only a single boy." She said, taking a long swig of her bottle.

"Well? How was he?" She grimaced at his question and elbowed him in the ribs.

"I wouldn't know. I left without him, for your information." She said curtly.

"Classy." She groaned. "Don't look at me like you're a saint!" she said, but he wasn't looking to her harshly, only with a mix of fondness, and slight resignation.

She was lovely, this girl with her long brown waves, and honey eyes. He couldn't help his deep affection for her, from her lively laugh, to her charming smiles. She knew the effect she had on people, but she often forgot when she was just being herself. Everything she did was appreciable, simply because she was the one doing it. He could only be glad that she took time from her days to spend some with him, despite the remarks from her closest friends, and distaste for mixing of houses. It was childish rivalry, indeed instilled from the time they were sorted, and carried on by those blinded by competitiveness. Being a Ravenclaw, Darius was familiar with competitiveness, but he did not succumb to it like most of his classmates. He did not care to be consumed by ambition, to the point where abandoning friends and peers seemed acceptable. The sorting hat indeed considered Hufflepuff because of his generally amiable nature, and hardworking ethics. His brains, however, made the decision for him.

"What a lucky bloke. Have you seen him around since?" He asked, curious now.

"No. Thank goodness! I wouldn't know what to say." She wasn't sure if one of the only details she knew about him, was worth sharing, but she did anyway. "He was in Slytherin." She finally coughed up.

"Interesting." He said, briefly amused because she sounded embarrassed by this. Being surrounded by the twins probably instilled that sense of guilt in her, even though he knew she was above it.

"Oh Fred thought that was very interesting." She remarked, rolled her eyes and finishing her bottle.

"I would expect no different of him." Darius said, smiling. "I don't know how you tell them apart though" he quipped, looking for the irritation in her eyes. She looked especially adorable when she was being teased.

"Come off it!" she retorted, elbowing him and making him spill his bottle.

Laughing, he cleaned it up with a wave of his wand, and they decided to take their leave. They explored the shops that offered various magical items, and Jade's gaze lingered over a shop owned by Madame Puddifoot, where couples often disappeared into.

"Would you like to go in?" Darius asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Too many frills." She replied dryly, eyeing him with a smirk.

She held his arm as they walked through the village, mostly grateful for the luxury of wonderful weather. They ended up going back to Hogwarts grounds, but sitting near the lake and having more talks about everything.

"Tell me that you're going to Paris this summer." He said, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"I think I might be! Why? Will you be there?"

"Yes! My family wants to go there for this art exhibition." He grinned, she couldn't help but mirror him.

"That's so lovely Darius! We could meet then!"  
"That was my intention." He said, now happier than he was before.

Considerably bubblier, they walked back to the Great Hall in time for dinner, just as the stars began to appear.


	3. The Beginning

**Here's a super long chapter to make up for a long break. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have for me!**

* * *

The girl held a large trunk in her two hands, and had a duffel slung over her shoulder. She looked warily at the staircase that halted at her feet.

"Need some help?" A voice called from behind. It was male.

Flaming red hair caught her attention as she turned. There were two of them; twins.

They were lean, but their rolled up sleeves displayed rippling forearms. Their pale complexions made their flaming hair even brighter and their hazel eyes more evident.

The one who offered his help was on the left, smiling. He was slightly taller than his brother.

"Do you know where the Gryffindor common room is? A Percy was supposed to show me but he hasn't shown up." She said, taking a good look at them.

"Oh that would be our fault." The one on the right said, grinning. He had a more pointed nose, giving him an impish look. Even then, like his twin, he was quite attractive.

"He might be stuck in his room for a while. Literally." The one on the right said with a devilish grin.

An amused expression covered her features. They spoke in turns. _Charming_.

"Ever stick slime. It's proving to be quite effective." The one on the left said matter-of-factly.

"We can show you to the common room." Added the taller one.

"Oh, we haven't even introduced ourselves. How rude! I'm Fred and this is George. Weasley." Said the shorter one, gesturing to George who waved.

"Jade Athena." She replied, setting down her bags and shaking their hands.

"Congratulations on getting into Gryffindor, Jade." George said, looking into her eyes. She noticed his were actually green with flecks of hazel in them.

"It's the best." Fred said, picking up her duffel.

"You don't have to do that." She said, looking at the attractive boys. She hoped all the blokes here were this good looking.

"Don't worry about it." George said, smiling kindly as he picking up the trunk. He had a very kind smile and kind eyes as well. She couldn't help but notice his shirt straining over his torso, and quickly averted her eyes.

He took one end of the trunk and Jade refused to let him carry it up by himself. "Alright, alright. You can take the other end!" He caved, putting his hands up in surrender, grinning at her. She had warned him that she'd put him in a body-bind if he didn't let her help, to which both of the twins had a hearty laugh. It ran through her warmly, and she knew it was something they did a lot.

"So have you just transferred then? I would've noticed a girl as pretty as you." Fred asked with a cheeky smile, walking up the stairs next to her. Jade smirked.

The flirting was not foreign to her, to say the least. A girl with smoldering brown eyes under thick lashes, auburn waves, high cheekbones and a porcelain complexion, coupled with a curvy figure got plenty of attention no matter where she was. Even back in France, her looks bought her more attention than her Aunt and Uncle would have liked.

"Very recently, yes. I just moved here actually." She replied, hoping they would not ask too many questions.

"London agrees with you." said George.

"It's hard to imagine anybody disagreeing with London. It's lovely here." She said politely, in spite of her distaste for the infamous London gloom.

"Where did you move from?" Fred asked.

"France." She answered, trying not to think of the past events.

The boys turned their heads, surprised, but resumed walking up and not asking questions. It was something she appreciated.

"How come you were allowed transfer so late?" George asked.

"Professor Dumbledore." She said simply and the boys nodded in understanding.

"We're here." Fred announced as they walked up to a large portrait of a very large woman.

"Jade, meet the Fat Lady!" Fred declared, spreading his arms as if showing her a masterpiece of sorts.

"Well, that's quite rude isn't it?!" She gasped softly, slightly taken aback at his frankness.

The lady in the portrait said "Thank you! That's what I've been saying for years!" In a high, haughty voice. Jades lips twitched, resisting the urge to smile she turned to the twins who were both grinning at her identically.

"It's just what her portraits called." Fred said, chuckling.

"Wackspurt." George said clearly, and the Fat Lady's portrait swung open to reveal a room that was decorated largely in maroon and gold. She walked through, helping George with the trunk he was carrying with her, and immediately was hit with a rush of warmth. Both of them let go of the trunk as she took in her surroundings.  
Everything about the place felt homey. There were bean bag chairs around a fireplace, along with deep crimson couches that looked very comfortable. All around were students of different ages, huddled up in groups, some of them alone, their noses in books or leaflets.

Some brandished wands and practiced small spells. Jade loved it. There was so much magic to this place. The twins looked perfectly in place in the warm, large room. They were practically beaming as she turned back to them.

"It's great, isn't it?" George said excitedly. She nodded, grinning, unable to formulate just how glad she was to be sorted into Gryffindor.

"Let's introduce you to some people, then." Fred said immediately, walking toward a group of people in bean bag chairs. While she was grateful for the surprisingly quick chance to make new friends, she was also slightly uncomfortable at the sudden landslide of thoughts weighed her down. She was a complete stranger, in a foreign country. She had nothing in common with these people, and she was an oddity, to add to it. Nobody was admitted later than first year. What would they think? They would talk. Some of the students had already looked up and began to murmur, eyeing her and her belongings.

Jade hesitated, nervous for a moment, and George smiled gently at her. "They're good people, I promise." His kind hazel eyes shone back at her, completely reassuring. His clear intentions brought her some peace. If she had nobody else, at least she had the twins. She had an inkling that they were more than enough. With a deep breath, she followed him into the circle where Fred was waiting.

"I'm sure they are." She said with a mysterious smile. A bemused expression took on George's face as he followed behind her. When she walked, she exuded an air of elegance but recklessness. It was enticing.

They had walked up to a group of kids who looked younger than Jade and the twins. Fred cleared his throat to get the attention of a mousy brown haired witch, another red-haired boy who was almost certainly his brother, a dark boy with dreadlocks, and a younger boy with very messy hair that was almost covering a curious scar on his forehead.

"Jade, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Lee Jordan and… Harry Potter!" The pause before Harry Potter gave Jade the impression that he was supposed to hold some kind of significance. She remembered the name vaguely, and then recalled it was the fabled baby who was cursed by the Dark Lord, but yet, lived to see the rest of his days. Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment, before she turned away. It must be quite difficult to be that famous at such a young age. She decided to make it worse for him.

"It's very nice to meet you." The bushy haired girl called Hermione said with a kind smile. Jade smiled back and said "You too!"

"Hi… Um... It's good to meet you… I mean nice." The red-headed boy squeaked, cringing at his lack of eloquence and blushing so that his cheeks got closer to the color of his hair. She smiled kindly at him, he seemed quite flustered. "You're a Weasley too, then." She said to Ron, who looked up, recovered. "Yes! I am… Well, not if they'd have a choice in the matter." He finished, looking up at the twins who were towering over him in his bean bag.

"Right you are, Ronald." Fred said, while Jade rolled her eyes and grinned at Ron, making him relax slightly.

"It's nice to meet you Harry." She noticed the scar peeking out of the boy's messy black hair, but didn't comment. Harry was grateful for the lack of staring, and grinned back.

Lee seemed to be best friends with the twins. He too attempted to flirt with her and passed suggestive winks when he could. Like the others, she simply laughed them off. Lee Jordan -as Jade would come to find out- was part of the small clique the twins hung out with almost daily. He shared their sense of humor and pranks that kept them regular attendants in detention, that is, when they were caught.

It was getting late and soon they went to bed. Hermione accompanied her upstairs as they chatted about the schooling systems in France as compared to Britain.

Jade fell asleep after thinking about the past few days. As they had the past few nights, tears flowed freely for a few moments, before she collected herself. Nobody ever saw them, so nobody knew why. It was something she was still recovering from, the reason she was there, at London and not France where she had been all her life.

Sleep was good and prolonged as the weekend passed by.

When classes began, she found herself being accompanied by the twins. Something she enjoyed immensely. They were funny and enjoyed entertaining the people around them, so times were never boring around them.

During class, she would join in; using the hovering charms to make the filibuster fireworks explode over Alicia's cauldron, setting a dozen rats loose in Ernie Maximillian's desk, so when he opened it, they ran rampant in transfiguration.

They even turned the feathers in charms into spiders so Flitwick had to evacuate the class in order to find all of them.

Most of the time they weren't caught. The teachers always suspected them, but since they hardly ever had proof they could not do much.

As the weeks went by, she found herself talking more to George. She could tell the difference between them now. She had observed that Fred was shorter than George and had higher cheekbones. George's smile was more crooked and he had kinder and gentler eyes. Once, they had attempted to prank her by pretending to be each other, but a bat-bogey hex seemed to bring out the honesty in them. After their little experiment, they deduced that Jade was not only one of the few people in their year quite skilled in spells, but also in telling them apart.

* * *

A month into her time at Hogwarts, Jade had managed to steer clear of explaining her past to anybody. She let herself believe it was a conversation she wouldn't have to have at all. That is, until Fred got far too curious and ignored his twin brother's reminders that she would tell them when she was ready.

"Well, I've got to ask. What got you kicked out of your old school and landed you into Hogwarts?" Fred asked one day as they were sitting in the common room. The sun was setting and shades of magenta and peach were painted across the sky. Everything in the common room looked far warmer as a result. Fred, George and Jade were lounging lazily in it, playing exploding snap, and toying with ideas for some enterprise the twins were talking about.

The question took her by surprise and she took a few moments to correctly formulate the answer she had to give him. George took those moments to throw a textbook at his very tactless twin and glare at him. She stared out the window for a few moments, stalling, appreciating the colours.

"Well, don't disown me but I just had to move to Britain, so I joined Hogwarts." She said, knowing it was too vague sounding to be satisfying.

"Is there an exciting story behind why you had to leave France? Is Dumbledore secretly harbouring a fugitive?" He said, sounding thrilled at the prospect of a potential criminal in his midst.

Jade laughed, "I'm not a fugitive, yet. As far as I know." She replied, amused now. Fred mocked disappointment, and fell back on the sofa dramatically.

She remembered the night she told George the real events that changed her life.

They were in the common room alone, and he looked up from his book to watch her read. She looked so immersed in it, he couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad you're here." He said suddenly, pulling her out of the world in the book. She looked up surprised, her eyes wider than usual and he thought she looked particularly adorable. She smiled sincerely at him and moved closer to him on the sofa.

"So am I, George." She replied quietly. It was such a simple thing to say, a thoughtful one but it reminded her of the events that lead her to Hogwarts. Her gaze dropped to the floor and after a few moments, he saw her eyes getting misty. Before he knew what was happening, her hands had flown to her face as her body shook silently with sobs next to him. The book she was reading had slipped onto the floor, lying open. His heart sped up, unable to understand what just happened. What had he said? She seemed alright just a moment ago?  
He immediately dropped his book and put his arms around her. He held her close to him as tight as he could, and rubbed her back. The motion seemed to comfort her, and she hastily wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, trying to gather her emotions and avoiding his gaze. She was embarrassed but he held her face in her palm and looked her in the eyes.

"Tell me what's going on." The sincerity and concern in his voice only made her feel worse. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole, her chest was tight and she had to take several deep breaths before she calmed down.

"It's what happened before... before Hogwarts." She finally said. He had put his arms around her and was stroking her back.

"You can talk to me about it, if you want." He said quietly, still looking worried. She nodded and directed her gaze to the open book- not seeing anything in it.

"It was the last day before summer break. I had just returned from school, I was late because I went to a café with some friends. I entered the house and knew something was not right immediately; the gates were open, the flowers were trodden on. The front door was unhinged, spelled off. I just felt so cold, like all the happiness was draining from me." George's heart rate quickened. His grip on her tightened unconsciously. She continued, staring ahead; her voice monotonous.

"I walked in quietly, it didn't occur to me to call for help. I was just confused at first. I heard voices, and so I moved in the opposite direction. They were not the voices of my parents, or any of my house elves. When I got to the back garden, I couldn't even scream. My mother's body was strewn across the flowers.

She was so pale, I thought maybe she was stunned because she wasn't moving. I ran up to her and I couldn't process it, you know? I refused to believe it." Her hands were balled into fists now, and she could tell speaking was an effort. Her voice was trembling.

"I sat there with her until I heard the sounds of them disapparating. When I went back into the house, I found my father in his study. The room had been torn apart by spells, all of his things were everywhere. I saw him at his desk. They got him too." She finished, her voice barely a hoarse whisper. George's throat was closed up, he couldn't speak. He watched her numbly as she took deep breaths and tried to regain her composure. He didn't even know what he could say.  
He pulled her into his chest and didn't let go of her for a while. She wrapped her arms around his torso gratefully, his warmth bringing comfort to her darkest recollections.

"They were death eaters?" He finally said. Using the term for the old group of the Dark Lord's followers. The feelings he was experiencing were completely foreign to him. There was a white hot rage, moving through his veins like a poison, making him shake. But there was also grave sadness, a deep empathy for her loss. He could not word these feelings, so he held her, until she her tears stopped. They sat there entwined, and he wiped the tears off her face. She looked up at him, slightly embarrassed, but there was a blazing look in his eyes that reassured her it wasn't necessary.

"Yes. I think so, at least. So did Dumbledore. He heard about what happened, and he sent me a letter, offering to let me study here. I didn't want to stay there… in that house. It was too much, so I agreed."

He looked down at her- the determination in her molten honey eyes was unmistakable. It was the look of someone who had seen a lot, but refused to give up. He loved her for it, and could not feel more honoured that she trusted him enough to share this with him.

He kissed her forehead, and pulled her in tighter.

"Good man." He managed.

"Yes. I cannot imagine them coming back to get whatever they were there for." She said softly into his chest. He felt his insides move and he pulled her in closer. Somehow determined that no matter what, he could not see her hurt again.

"Did they ever find out why?" He asked, stroking her back. She had curled up into him, her knees pressed to her chest, leaning against his strong muscular torso. He felt the need to protect her from these bad memories. She looked up at him, and slowly began trace patterns on his arm.

"I'm not sure." She said vaguely, her line of sight following her hand. He was the first and only person she had spoken to about her parents. Nobody else knew anything about her beginnings. George was so easy to talk to, to trust, he was her rock. She couldn't help but feel a connection to him after all they had shared.

He watched her get distracted, and played with the ends of her hair. She sighed and leaned into his chest. After a while, they realized it was starting to get bright again.

"I suppose we should be getting to bed." He muttered, dejected, still holding her. His chin rested on the top of her head, moving to level with her face. Her eyes were far away. She said nothing but continued to trace patterns onto his arm. Finally she nodded.

He didn't want to leave her alone after what she had told him, and he very hesitantly walked up with her to the stairs where they had to separate.

"Come up with me." He said, suddenly.

"What do you mean?" She replied, holding on to his waist.

"You can sleep in my bed, if you want." He said softly, holding her face with one palm. She knew better than to be offended. He genuinely meant sleep. The corner of her lips finally lifted into a smile.

"Okay"

He took her hand and led her up the stairs, past all the closed curtains. He could hear Ron snoring and silently cursed his brother. She giggled softly behind him and his insides felt warm again. They found their way to his bed and he shut the hangings behind them, and spelled it so that Ron's snoring was blocked out.

She walked around, making observations. It was the first time that she had seen his side of the dorms. She had been up to Harry and Ron's areas, even stayed and chatted for a while. His area was different though. He had one large battered looking trunk that was propped against a wall. His bedspread was a deep orange, a fact that made her smile. It suited him.

It was what she felt when she thought of George- warmth, comfort, home. He looked almost nervous as she looked around, and changed while she tinkered with some of his trinkets. There was a miniature fire bolt whizzing around in a small cage, and a pile of colourful pills on top of a pile of books. She recognized several names and was pleased at his taste in reading material. The twins didn't seem like the type who pored over books all day, but it was nice to know he did enjoy it. Copies like _Sensible Spellwork for Wizards,_ _Charm Your Way Into Success, Charms for Everything You Can Think Of_ and _Impractical Wizardry_ were among them, which made her shake her head. She turned around to find him in pajama bottoms, but shirtless, appearing to look for his pajama top. She saw it hanging on the corner of his trunk and picked it up, walking to him to hand it to him.

"Looking for this?" She asked, holding it up.  
"Not if you don't want me to." He replied, winking as he took it from her. She smirked and ran her eyes over the length of his body. Her first impression had not been wrong. She had always known he had quite large arms, but this look confirmed her notion that he was otherwise also quite muscular, with a well built torso and broad, defined shoulders. Biting her lip, she turned away to distract herself from the inappropriate thoughts that came to her mind.

"Like what you saw?" His cocky tone brought her back to reality, she smirked and turned around. He had a smug smile on his lips, and his head was slightly tilted, as if he had been watching her. He had put on a maroon t shirt.

"Well, I wasn't disappointed." She compromised, licking her lips delicately, and perching on the corner of his bed. Her eyes weren't red anymore, but had a mischievous look to them. He couldn't help but appreciate her figure in the clothes she had on. She was wearing shorts and a tight T shirt that emphasized her curves.

"Do I get a change of clothes too?" She asked innocently, tilting her head. He felt the urge to kiss her right then, but limited himself to raising his eyebrows and looking through his clothes for a shirt.

"I'm afraid none of my bottoms with fit you." He said, grinning as he threw the t shirt to her. She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to turn around.

"No peeking, I'll know if you do." She warned, facing his back as she took her shirt and bra off. Her worries were unfounded though, as she knew he could be quite the gentleman, and he obediently stared at a spot on the floor as she put her clothes on top of a pile of books. George's thoughts were on different matters. She brought out feelings in him that worried him. They were best friends- closer than he had ever been with anybody besides his twin. He trusted her and cared for her deeply, but just how deeply did those feelings run?

She snuck up behind him and put her arms around his waist to hug him- disrupting his train of thought.

"Okay I'm done." She mumbled into his back. He turned around smiling as she let go of him and picked her up- to her surprise. She was about to protest, but just as quickly as he had carried her- he put her down on the bed and joined her. She couldn't help laughing and turned to face his adorable, pleased face.

The shirt was quite over-sized on her and fell almost to her knees. "I see you've made a dress of it." He said, putting his hand on her waist and looking into her eyes. She looked content. "I might just keep it." He found no qualms with that, and simply smiled at her.

Jade couldn't' help thinking about how he had a wonderful combination of features. Caring green eyes with flecks of hazel, coupled with the perfect smile. His bright red hair seemed almost unreal as she ran her fingers through it. He was enjoying it immensely, as he watched her delighted eyes move over her hands and onto his face. It was a perfect moment. One of those rare moments where you feel as though you are living someone else's life- a completely blissful one without cares or responsibilities. A moment which feels like it could be forever, something that is very painful to watch end, something that you never want to let go of. A moment that feels like an extract out of a luckier person's lifetime.

She sighed softly and her hand moved over to his cheek. She stroked his face, and he took her hand to entwine it with his. Pulling it to his lips, he planted a gentle kiss.

"You're too good to me, George Weasley." She murmured, drowsy, and happier than she had been in months.

He shook his head, and pulled her in closer, so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

"You deserve the world, Jade." He said, holding her, not able to believe how lucky he was.

"I'm perfectly content with just you." She said softly, looking up to his face. His expression changed into a curious one, and he held her face with his palm again. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Get some rest, love." He was touched, and in disbelief. He could feel his heart speed up as he held her.

"Goodnight." She murmured, her eyes already closed. He continued to rub her back until she fell asleep and was breathing deeply into slumber. His chest felt warmer than it ever had, if anything, he never wanted to hurt this beautiful, brave girl.


	4. Date Night

**Continued from The Beginning**

Jade watched Neville's escaped mouse scurry in between the desks and chairs as he tripped over his own feet trying to grab it. Several of the girls had leaped onto their chairs in fear while the boys pointed and laughed, moving the chairs for Neville to trip over. Professor McGonnagal had left the class room a few minutes ago and chaos had ensued when Robert MacDuff accidentally knocked over his desk onto Longbottom's. Hermione was attempting to stun the mouse as Jade sat unable to appreciate the comedy because of the previous day's events.

"Something bothering you?" A voice from her left asked. She put down the wand she was toying with and turned to a handsome brunette with shining grey eyes and Ravenclaw robes.

"I'm Darius. Darius Silver." He said when she didn't respond.

"Jade." She replied, breaking out of her reverie.

"You're new, right?"

"Yes, just moved from-"

"-France, everyone's been talking about you." He completed, smiling sheepishly and seeming embarrassed at knowing.

"Oh. Is that a good thing?" She smirked, unsure of how to take it.

"For now." He grinned back.

His face was familiar; she had seen him in some of her classes and in the great hall, and he walked with a group of the friendlier Ravenclaws.

"So how do you like Hogwarts so far?" He asked, turning away from the ruckus at the corner of the classroom.

"Love it. The English are quite accommodating."

"To someone like you, everyone probably is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone as lovely as yourself is probably received well wherever you go." He said smoothly, flashing a smile at her.

She rolled her eyes but a smile found her lips.

"I could say the same for you." He laughed, it was deep and comforting somehow.

"How are you adjusting to the change?"

"I think I'm doing alright."

"It's quite sudden. In the middle of the year."

She said nothing but smiled politely.

"Anyway, a couple of us were going to the inn at Hogsmeade- The Three Broomsticks. Care to join us?" He asked, recovering from her silence considerably well.

"Oh... Today?" She asked, not used to sudden invites.

"Yeah, after Potions." He smiled.

"Alright, sounds good, Silver."

The bell sounded as Professor McGonnagall burst in, brandishing her wand at the mouse and effectively stunning it, as well as the rest of the room into silence.

"You are dismissed." She said, very crossly. "Except for you, Longbottom, and MacDuff. Remain here." The others hurriedly left the two boys cowering in their seats.

Darius walked out with her.

"Is Transfig. All we have together?" She asked him as they made their way into the Quidditch grounds for break.

"Oh no, there's Care of Magical Creatures and Divination as well." He grinned, unashamedly.

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Well I can't believe I didn't notice you."

"You're usually with the Weasley twins."

"Oh, yeah, those two. They were the first students I met here."

"Lucky them." He flirted shamelessly.

She couldn't help but laugh. He was rather adorable.

"And speak of the devils, there they are." She spotted Fred and George with Lee, sitting next to a large willow. George seemed to have been watching her and Darius, but now had his back turned and was studiously looking into his potions textbook.

"See you after school?" She confirmed.

"Meet me at the great hall." He smiled, starting toward it.

They departed and as she walked up to the trio, Fred called "Made a new friend, have we?"

"Darius, he has Transfig. with me." She told them.

"Ravenclaw, eh? Know-it-all." Remarked Fred.

She tossed her bag on the grass and settled against the tree in between George and Lee.

"Oh yeah, he takes Arithmacy with Katie. Alright bloke, actually." Lee said, taking a bite out of his sandwich as George threw him a glare.

"He's a bit more than alright, I'd say." Jade added quietly, smiling to herself as she took out one of her own.

"We're going to play some two on two after school." George said, not looking at her.

"Oh, sorry I can't make it. Going to the Three Broomsticks with... Darius." She replied apologetically.

Now George turned to look at her, his gaze stony. "What?"

"Yeah... He asked me in transfig. A group of them are going."

Fred and Lee exchanged looks as George turned away and watched some third years tried to retrieve a toad from a very high branch.

"Is everything alright?" She asked cautiously, peering at George, curiosity tugging at her.

"Just brilliant." He replied. It seemed as if every word took a great deal of effort to speak.

Lee snickered as George walked toward the tree and summoned the frog down with his wand.

"What's got him in such a foul mood?" Jade asked the other boys, who were chuckling to themselves.

Fred merely shook his head as Lee bit his lip, as if stopping himself from answering.

"Tell me!" she demanded, now growing angry at them.

"Come on, it's pretty obvious." Lee finally chimed.

"What is?"

"Jade, you aren't daft." Fred said, slowly, as if she was missing something completely simple. Jade had an inkling to what he meant, but didn't believe it.

"He's mad that I'm not playing the match? Just call Ron."

"She still doesn't get it, Lee."

"It's not our business to tell her, Fred."

"Isn't it, though? Sometimes things need to be pushed along."

"Don't meddle."

"He's never going to get anywhere if we don't."

"While that is a real possibility, you should still keep your nose out of his business."

At this point, Jade was thoroughly exasperated with them, and took it upon herself to ask George.

She made her way to under the tree where he had taken to watching a game of fanged frizz bee.

"Hi" She said, coming up behind him.

"Hi." He replied, barely looking over his shoulder. She stood right next to him, so he couldn't ignore her.

"You're mad at me." It wasn't a question.

He didn't reply.

"I don't know why."

More silence.

"George, please. Tell me what I've done, or said." Normally, she would have never considered pleading with someone when she had clearly done nothing wrong, but he was one of the very few who meant more to her than petty arguments.

He turned to face her, and his expression cleared into a blank.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand."

"How can I understand when you haven't told me what the problem is?" She was getting mad now.

"I said forget it."

"You're a bloody piss off, you know!" She fumed, turning around and storming away.

He felt a twinge of regret, but nothing more. She made her choices.

* * *

When she returned from Hogsmeade, the twins and Lee were sitting in the common room.

She certainly had more than a pleasant evening. Her little bout with the younger twin had left her mood foul, but her company changed that soon enough. Darius was in Ravenclaw, and placed rightly so. His conversation was intellectually stimulating, and highly interesting.

He spoke of his childhood, growing up with a muggle father and witch for a mother. His father had known about his mother's abilities when their relationship developed into something serious, and was completely captivated with the magical world. Darius liked to bring him back small magical trinkets which fascinated him, something Jade found very endearing. He also enjoyed playing the guitar, and reading. Their reading tastes were pleasantly similar, and they spent hours discussing their favourites.

So, when Jade returned to the common room her mood was significantly better than at the start of the evening.

She debated going straight to her bed, as it was rather late and the prospect of seeing George was not all that appealing, but thought she may as well say good night to the other two.

"And she finally returns!" Cried Lee from his beanbag. The twins, Lee, Ron, Hermione and Harry sat in a circle, around a table with several lists and stationary piled on it.

"How was your evening?" Asked Fred.

"It was lovely. How did the game go?" She smiled back.

"It was brilliant. Lee, George and I completely destroyed Harry, Dean and Fred." Ron chirped enthusiastically.

"Piss off, you little git. It was one goal." Shot Fred.

"And it was only because Dean was too distracted with Cho in the stands." Added Harry as Jade and Hermione laughed.

"Don't be a sore loser, Freddy." Laughed Lee.

"You lost because we were a better team." Grinned George.

"Rematch! Tomorrow, then." Declared Harry.

"You're on! But this time Jade plays with us." Said Fred.

"I've no problem with that." Smiled Jade, setting down besides Hermione and Harry. She avoided George's face.

"Hey! That's unfair." Ron argued.

"Don't worry. We'll still beat them." George teased, his tone light.

"We'll see about that!" Fred retaliated.

"So what have you been up to this evening?" Asked Ron.

"Oh, I was at the Three Broomsticks with Darius Silver, and some other Ravenclaws."

Fred made a loud and vulgar sound at this statement, causing the lot of them to laugh.

"They're rather nice." Added Hermione, nodding approvingly.

"Your type." Shot Ron as he and Harry exchanged significant looks.

"If you mean people who actually take their lessons seriously then yes, they certainly are."

"A little too seriously, I reckon." Said Lee.

"They're a decent lot." Jade said, a tone of finality.

"But Jade wasn't there for their conversation." George said, an expression too close to a sneer for Jade's liking on his face.

"Of course I was." She retorted, not wanting to get cross again.

"She couldn't stop smiling after Silver asked her." Lee chimed.

"Darius Silver? He's in my Artihmacy class. He's quite brilliant." Hermione said.

"Yes, he is." Grinned Jade. She noticed George scoff from the corner of her eye and felt and surge of pleasure.

"Does he play quidditch? You could ask him to join for tomorrow's rematch." Harry suggested, and immediately regretted it as he got a death glare from the older twin.

"I'm not sure but I could ask."

"But that would make our teams uneven." Fred said, quickly, looking from George to Jade almost confused.

"I can sit out. My ankle's pretty sore from the fall." Ron said.

"Don't be a priss, Ronald. We need you as Keeper." Fred said meaningfully.

"Alright, fine. I'll just sleep it off. Night you lot." He replied, sounding thoroughly confused. He left with Harry and Hermione.

"I think I'm going to bed as well. I'll see you three tomorrow." Jade said to the boys, getting up to follow Hermione up to the girl's dorms.

As she was about to walk up the staircase, a hand caught hers. It was the older twin.

"I'm sorry." He said before she could ask him anything.

She couldn't do anything but sigh.

"I know I was a git earlier." He said, through almost gritted teeth.

"I just wanted to know why you got mad." She said, crossing her arms.

"The reason is rather dumb."

"Tell me anyway."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because it's stupid."

"Just spit it out!"

"No."

"Heavens! Why the hell not?"

"Can you just forget it?" She was annoyed but he didn't seem to want to let up anytime soon. She looked at his pleading face in confusion. He was infuriating.

"No. Either explain why you were being a prick, or I'm going upstairs." George sighed dramatically at this, and crossed his arms.

"Alright." He said, exasperated.

"I thought you fancied him." He mumbled, not making eye contact with her.

"Fancied who? Darius? A boy I met a couple hours before I told you about him?" She said, raising her eyebrows.

"I realize I reacted in a childish manner." He muttered, determined not to see her expression. He heard her sigh and felt her palm on his face, forcing him to look at her.

"You're an idiot." She said, trying to resist the urge to smile. He was jealous, and Jade loved it.

Finally cracking a grin he put out his arms and she went into them like he wanted her to. She couldn't help sighing into his shoulder, it was a tight embrace that made her feel so much better and cleared her mind.

"You're an idiot." She repeated into his shoulder.

"I know." He said, his voice sounding not completely fine.

"Good." She replied, smiling and kissing his cheek lightly. She pulled out of his arms and with a wish goodnight, and rosy cheeks she went to her bed, at last, feeling better than she had all day. George didn't seem completely alright, but it was probably because he was tired from the day's match. A voice in her head told her that wasn't the only reason. She knew why his mood had turned foul when she mentioned Darius and spending time with him, something that clearly Lee and Fred were aware of as well.

* * *

"He likes you, y'know." Hermione's voice said from the neighboring bed.

"Who?" Jade asked, broken out of her internal monologue.

"Darius." The answer was unexpected.

"He asks about you. I think he's been thinking of talking to you for a while now. He was just looking for the chance to."

"Well, I'm glad he found it." Smiled Jade.

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just thought... Never mind."

 _Why does nobody want to tell me anything?_! Thought, Jade. It was getting annoying.

"What did you think?"

"I just thought maybe… George and you seemed to get on rather well." Jade felt something heavy in her chest.

"I've thought about that... But he hasn't asked me out."

"Maybe he's waiting for you to give him a sign that you feel the same way... Do you?"

"I think so." Jade replied, staring up at the patterns of the ceiling. They didn't seem to have any meaning but she thought they beautiful anyway.  
"That might explain why he always sounds so angry whenever you bring up Darius."  
Jade sighed. Hermione had a good point there. George and she had always been close, they got along from the moment they met at Hogwarts. He had always been there for her and she had wondered if their small moments between them meant as much to him as they did to her.

"That would make sense, but until he says anything I can't be sure. Right?" Her voice had gotten smaller and Hermione didn't want to hurt her anymore.

"Do you want him to say something?"

"It would be nice to know."

"Now, when have you ever waited around for a guy to do something?" Jade couldn't help but smile into the darkness.

* * *

Jade had been staring out at the sunlight that was coming down in beams, dousing whatever it touched in a pleasant glow. She had caught small birds passing by the castle windows and wondered why she was stuck inside listening to the droning voice of Professor Binns. It had been weeks since the conversation with Hermione. Jade had proved to indeed be the girl that waited around, since she hadn't gathered up the courage to say anything to George. It was the prospect of humiliation that worried her. What if he was just playing games with her? He was good at it. Making her feel like they were together when he had never said a word indicating it. What if he had always been like this, and she was taking it more seriously than she should?

A voice broke her out of her reverie and she turned to find the source of it. A glance told her it was a tall red head whose green eyes were watching her with a curious expression.

"I was wondering what you were doing in the evening." George said, his voice low and tentative.

"Not sure of it yet." She replied, not looking at him but focusing on the sun beams.

"Come to the Lake with me." He said. "Please." He added after she didn't reply. She had been in a strange mood lately, and George didn't know what to make of it.

He watched her nod, and was relieved.

When their time with the ghost professor ended, Jade did not linger but instead went alone to the library. There she met up with a lean brunette by the name of Darius Silver. The Ravenclaw had gotten rather close to Jade over the course of the month they had been speaking. His head appeared to be buried in a textbook but he was sneaking glances at the clock, watching for the end of the History of Magic class. Right on schedule, Jade walked in and smiled when he saw her approaching the table.

"You realize study dates are only as cute as the novelty lasts." She whispered once she had sat down next to him. He grinned and put down his book. Darius watched her rummage in her bag for the notebook she took out during these sessions, and marveled at his luck. A while ago, speaking to Jade had been just a thought, now she was meeting with him regularly. She trusted him and spent her time with him. He thought perhaps it was time to try and push his luck.

"So I've been thinking about some things lately." He said, making sure Madame Pince the librarian wasn't in the vicinity.

"Oh?" She asked, looking up from her book.

"I wanted to know if you would like to go out with me. On a date." He stated. He had been nervous while thinking about asking her out but now that the time had come, it didn't seem to be quite as intimidating. She chose to spend time with him and be around him, which gave him the confidence he needed to do this.

Jade's thoughts seemed to go on pause for a moment as she stared at him in surprise. It was no secret that she enjoyed flirting with the boys she spoke to, and some of the girls at Hogwarts had made it a point to use rather rude terms when addressing her. However, she assumed that the boys knew it was all in jest.

Darius watched her staring at him with raised brows and widened eyes and suddenly began to lose his nerve.

"Um… So… You can just let me know when you've thought of an answer" He said to break the silence that suddenly felt awkward. Jade supposed that it was appropriate to answer him but couldn't find her voice. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of what to say, so she closed it quickly resembling a fish in a tank.

"I… just need some time… to think about it." She managed, suddenly feeling very confused.

"That's alright. I'll be in the library until the evening so… that's where you'll find me." He replied, feeling the heat rushing to his face. Suddenly he couldn't look at her. Jade just nodded to acknowledge what he said. She then left the library walking as if she was being followed by a blast ended skrewt until she was safely inside the common room. When it shut, she turned around and took a deep breath.

Unbelievable. Darius Silver. Apparently Hermione was right, but Jade wasn't sure that she had wanted her to be. The last thing they had spoken of was confronting George. Well I suppose this is a good of a time as any. _If he feels anything for me, there'd be some sign of it when I tell him what Darius asked of me._ With that thought in mind, she made her way over to the twins who were pondering over some paperwork and sat down on a chair across from them.

"Hi, you." Fred said cheerfully, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"How's it going?" She asked, now seeing that the papers had sketches of prototypes for their line of products.

"Brilliant! We've just figured out a way to revive students from the fainting fancies." George said enthusiastically. She nodded and tried to smile, but her face didn't seem to move right.

"What's the matter?" He asked, noticing her troubled expression.

"I just…. I was in the library a while ago with Darius, and he asked me something." She said, unsure of how to tell him. George's expression had changed at the mention of Darius, and he held his breath when she finished her sentence.

"Well, go on then." His tone was harsh but there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly the excitement from earlier had drained from his body and he only felt a weird sort of emptiness.

"He wanted to know if I'd like to go on a date with him." She said quietly, looking for a reaction that would tell her what she wanted to know. His reaction wasn't what she expected. His expression changed into one of near boredom, and there was a blankness in his stare.

She wanted so badly for him to say no. She wanted him to tell her not to go.

"So, should I say yes?" she asked. His face was devoid of any emotion, finally with an almost bored expression he replied, "You like him don't you? You should go."

The words hit her hard, she felt her heart hit the floor painfully. "Oh... okay..." She didn't know what else she could say. He looked at her, his face haughty; a sneer on his lips. It looked foreign to her, she had never seen this side of him.

Anger filled the void where her heart had been. That was how he wanted to be?

"Fine. I will." She said defiantly, getting up from her seat. She turned around and walked out of the room. _And I will have a bloody good time at that._

Fred watched her retreating figure with a dazed expression on his face. _What had just happened_?

"Enjoy yourself." George called as her footsteps echoed.

"I will thanks." She called back shortly.

" _What_ was that?" Fred asked, now confusion and annoyance tainting his features. He turned to George who was staring at the floor with a hard expression.

"She likes him. What was I supposed to do?" George shot back, glaring at his twin now.

"Stop her. That's why she came to you, you git!"

George brought his head into his hands and sighed. "She doesn't feel the same way."

Now it was Fred's turn to let out a sigh of frustration. "Anybody that's been around you two for the past couple of weeks, can tell you that's a load of hippogriff dung." His brother didn't respond.

"Listen, it's obvious you fancy her, and she wouldn't have come to us if she didn't feel the same way."

"What are you saying?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? She wanted you to stop her. To tell her how you feel." While George hadn't explicitly discussed his feelings for Jade with his twin, there was a mutual understanding between them. Fred saw the way he looked at her, and looked forward to seeing her. He knew how difficult George got when they fought and how annoyed it made him when she flirted with any other boy in the school. He was positively livid when Cormac McLaggen had taken her to the Three Broomsticks, and had set one of his spell books on fire accidentally.

"I was going to tell her tonight." George said, wondering if she would even remember.

Fred saw the disconsolate look on his twins face and tried to control the damage.

"Just tell her when she comes back." He said.

George nodded. "Shall we get to work on the Canary Creams? We need to make them last longer." He said, wanting nothing but to change the subject.

"Sure, I'll call Lee. He's been snogging Angelina from the time he came back from Spain." Fred said rolling his eyes.

George snickered. "I've seen little of him but the back of his head actually." Fred smirked and went off to call the third person to their little trio. It had grown since Jade joined Hogwarts, about six months ago. They had instantly clicked, but George had always had feelings for her, from that moment she had walked up to them in the hallways so long ago.

Lee joined them and they began working on spells, bringing in samples and victims (testers) whenever they required. It was about 6 o'clock when Lee suggested they move their work up to the boy's dorms because their supplies were running low. They gathered their things and went up the stairs, George's mind was now on how to reverse the effect of the puking pastilles. About ten minutes later, Jade climbed through the portrait hole, and into the common room. She was talking, rather quickly to Hermione who had a perplexed expression on her face.

"..And I thought he would stop me 'Ermione, but he had this obnoxious look on his face, _daring_ me to say yes." Jade said, exhaling deeply.

"I don't understand... I always thought he fancied you (here Jade's cheeks took on a delicate shade of pink) I mean being around you two, you aren't exactly subtle about it. Unintentionally though." Hermione replied, tagging on the last two words as an afterthought.

"Well if he wants to me to go, I guess I was wrong. It was all a bunch of hogwash."

Hermione saw the hurt behind those words. She felt bad for Jade.

"Maybe you surprised him. Give him some time?" she suggested.

"I'm saying yes to Darius. He's a proper boy who doesn't mess around and play these games." Jade said stubbornly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Who are you kidding? You love the games."

"They have to stop sometime."

"If that's what you want."

"It is."

"Okay."

Jade sighed. "I'm going to go tell him now."

"You're meeting him now?" Hermione asked, brows furrowed.

"Yes, at the library."

"Oh alright. You're sure about this?" she asked one last time. Jade nodded and turned and disappeared through the portrait hole. Hermione shook her head. She pulled out a piece of parchment and her runes textbook. She began on her runes homework diligently, deciphering in silence. In one corner Harry, Ron, Dean and Seamus played exploding snap. A loud bang caused heads to turn in the boy's direction. Seamus' eyebrows were singed and long lines of smoke were floating from them. Hermione rolled her eyes. She never understood why they enjoyed those juvenile games. _Boys._

In the library, Miss Irma Pince the librarian gave Jade a piercing glare as she entered and looked around for him. She found that familiar brown mop of shaggy hair amidst the other Ravenclaws. His bangs fell into his hair, choppy and _very_ attractive. She walked up to the intimidating table, every head into a very large book. Several of them including his looked up. He smiled and his green eyes glinted in the lights. The others looked back into their respective books while he got up to meet her.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, looking down at her. He was an inch taller than her.

"What time should I meet you?" she asked with a playful glint in her eyes. His grin widened.

"Say 6 o'clock tomorrow? Outside your common room." He asked

"See you then." She replied and walked out with a feeling of contentment.

"Can't wait." He called to her retreating figure. Her heart raced as she went up flights of stairs. She was doing this. She was hurt at the way George acted but who cared anymore? Darius was a lovely boy, who was obviously attracted to her. And _he,_ unlike _some_ redheads from Gryffindor actually had the balls to ask her out on a proper date. Since they were going for dinner she couldn't decide whether she should wear a dress or not. She was debating which colour -green or yellow- looked better on her, when she reached the portrait hole.

"Balderdash" she said to the fat lady and the painting swung aside. She went thought to the common room and saw George sitting at the corner, with Fred and Lee. He was deeply immersed in conversation and didn't look up. Her blood boiled seeing his face. She still couldn't forget the afternoon's happenings. She marched straight up to the girl's dormitories without looking back to pick out an outfit. She heard hurried footsteps behind her and turned, to face a befuddled looking Hermione, whose arms were full of parchment, quills, and very large textbooks.

"Oh bugger!" Hermione swore, something she usually didn't do as a roll of parchment slipped off the pile of textbooks. Jade summoned it to her with a wave of her wand, and took half the textbooks from Hermione's aching arms.

"Thanks, they've been rolling all over the place."

"Honestly Hermione. How _do_ you manage to finish all this in one sitting?" Jade asked making her way up the steps, the supplies weighing her down.

"Practice." Hermione replied simply, following her up. They set down the things on Hermione's bed and perched on the edges.

"I need you to help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow." Jade said brightly. Hermione sighed.

"Please?" Jade asked, staring at her best friend.

"Oooh, a date? Who with?" It was Vera, a good friend of theirs.

"Darius Silver." Jade replied, "but keep it to yourself." she warned.

"Of course darling. Where are you going?" Vera asked full of excitement. Jade laughed. Vera was a bubbly girl with jet black curls and matching eyes. Jade had told her, she resembled a doll with her olive skin.

"Dinner. I'm not exactly sure where." She said.

"So, come on then, let's get you something to wear." Vera said walking to Jade's area.

Jade followed and so did Hermione whispering hastily into Jade's ear. "Do you really like him? Or are you just doing this to prove a point to George?"

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone. Especially _him."_ She retorted, annoyance colouring her tone.

"Fine then. Do you really like him?" Hermione asked.

"Look, I don't know yet. And even if I didn't, it's just a bit of fun Hermy. Loosen up." Hermione cringed at the use of that nickname.

"How about this?" Vera said, pulling out a skimpy black dress that was much too short for the occasion.

"I'm not going to a pub you know." Jade said rolling her eyes. She pulled out the dress she had in mind. It was a lavender one that complemented her skin and brought out her eyes. It reached to about an inch above her knees.

"That's perfect." Vera said, her eyes widened in awe.

"It's lovely." Hermione added and Jade smiled.

"It's getting late, we should get to bed. Especially you." Hermione said after they had picked out the shoes and decided how they would do her hair.

"Right. Thanks so much girls." Jade said appreciatively to the two girls.

"Anytime J. Goodnight." Vera said, going to her own bed.

"Night Hermy." Jade said smiling, her eyes conveying her true appreciation for her friend. Hermione smiled knowingly. "Don't call me that. Goodnight." She said and left as well. Jade set out the dress on her trunk and collapsed into bed, completely spent. She hugged her covers close and slept a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The morning passed quickly, Jade had extra Care Of Magical Creatures classes for two hours. They observed the unicorns and did studies on the uses of their horns and mane hair. She met up with Fred in the Three Broomsticks afterward. She found his head of flaming red hair the instant she walked in, and made her way to the table. He was alone, so that meant Lee was with George.

"I ordered you a butterbeer." He said pushing a warm mug toward her.

"Thanks." she smiled, and took a sip. The drink warmed her insides.

"So, how was Hagrid today?" Fred asked, sipping his own mug and wiping off the foam from his upper lip.

"Great. He was rather excited about the unicorn foal. They like him." she said, thinking of the lovable half-giant who had become so popular.

Fred smiled. "Where do you stand on all this Fred?" Jade asked suddenly, reverting back to their conversation the previous day.

He sighed, he knew this was coming. "I don't know. I mean, he seems like an alright bloke. A bit of a know-it-all to be honest, but he hasn't done anything particularly despicable. Or I haven't heard about anything so far." He said honestly, trying to be unbiased. Jade nodded appreciating the truth. She was staring hard at the table.

"Do you like him?" Fred asked softly not knowing whether he actually wanted the answer.

"I... Think I do... I mean yesterday, when I came to you, _both_ of you, I didn't know what to expect... "She broke off looking at him, willing him to understand.

"I know, I didn't expect that from him either." Fred said sympathetically. "I don't know what got over him. He was a bit caught off guard." He defended. Guilt was eating him up. He knew that George wanted to tell her how he felt, but she had already said yes to Darius. He didn't know how to handle the situation. George had heard it from Ron, who had heard it from Hermione who was religiously avoiding both of twins. When Ron mentioned it (hesitantly, and outside of spell range) George's face had fallen and he had stormed off from the Great Hall. Fred could do nothing but hope he would talk to him when he returned.

"Yeah, well it isn't my fault." Jade said defensively, she didn't know why though.

Fred sighed. "So when's the date?" he smirked.

"Today, in the evening." She replied biting her lip to hide a smile.

"You can talk to me about it you know. I used to hold the position of your best friend once upon a time." He said finishing his mug of the amber liquid.

"Was? When did it change? And why wasn't I told about it?" Jade asked, looking shocked. He rolled his eyes.

"Let's go get lunch, it's almost 3" Jade said emptying her mug as well. They paid for the drinks and walked back up to the Castle. "Wait, don't you have Quidditch practice?" She asked, brows furrowed.

"Five o'clock. We're going against Hufflepuff first so wood's taking it easy." Fred said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't think that was possible." Jade replied.

"None of us did. Mental, that one." Fred said shaking his head and Jade laughed.

They reached the Great Hall and she spotted Hermione and Alice sitting about ten people away from Lee and George.

"I'll go sit with Hermione then." Jade said awkwardly, turning to him.

He smiled. "Have fun today." He said with a wink. She thanked him and left. She hurried past Lee and George and sat down on the empty seat next to Alice. Fred made his way to his best friend and his twin. George's plate seemed untouched, and he was staring into the distance. Lee looked at Fred with concern and shrugged.

"You going to finish that?" Fred asked, nudging his twin. George seemed to awaken from a trace and stared at Fred blankly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" His twin asked quietly. George dropped his fork, and put his head in his hands.

"What's there to talk about? I fucked up."

"This doesn't just end here. You don't know how the date is going to go." Lee said from his other side.

"Yeah mate, and you know that it doesn't mean anything to her."

"No I don't. I don't know that for sure." George snapped, rising from his seat. Fred got up and followed his as he stalked off toward the common room. Lee followed at a distance.

"Look, you can still talk to her. You can tell her tonight when she's back." Fred said, trying to keep up with George. His expression was a combination of anger and sadness. It pained him to see his twin like this. George suddenly halted and turned to face his twin.

"What if it goes well? Then what? I've been a coward Fred." Fred was shocked. For his twin to admit something like that was uncharacteristic of him.

"Listen to me. It isn't over. You can tell her tonight." He repeated firmly, grasping his twin by the shoulders and almost shaking him to bring him to his senses. George nodded, to his relief.

"I can't be here when she leaves. I can't see her going to him." He said in a small voice. Fred nodded and let go. He knew George would go to his place, the beach, where he needed to be alone.

* * *

Six o'clock arrived sooner than Jade expected, and as she put on her earrings, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. It had been a while since someone had taken her on a proper date. Back in France she had been courted by quite a few boys and she just remembered how thrilling it felt. The excitement of getting ready to be spoiled for the night. It was a pleasant wave of nostalgia, and she was smiling as she looked at herself.  
She wore a lavender dress that complemented the golden in her hair, which hung down in waves. Half of it had been clipped back to reveal her elegant and simple makeup.

"Gorgeous!" Vera remarked, when she finally came out to meet Darius.

"Thank you." Jade replied, blushing and walking toward the portrait hole. There was a feeling inside her that reminded her it wasn't George waiting outside the room. That managed to drain some of the excitement and she sighed. She took the first few steps down from the entrance, and scanned the corridors. She saw his tall figure leaning against a pillar with a bouquet in his hand. _Such a gentleman._

She walked toward him and as he caught sight of her, his eyes widened slightly. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her usually wavy auburn red hair framed her face in delicate ringlets. She looked radiant. He walked up to her and handed her the bouquet of daisies.

"Wow. You look absolutely amazing." He said, looking into her almond brown eyes.

She blushed. "Thank you. You look quite handsome tonight." He wore an emerald green shirt, which contrasted with his hair in the best way possible. He even wore a black tie that complemented it. He grinned and she noticed that shine in his beautiful grey eyes.

"Shall we get going?" he asked holding out his arm. She took it and they began walking toward the gates.

"I still don't know where we're going." She reminded him, curious now. There weren't many places you could go within grounds.

"You will be surprised, as promised." he assured her.

"I'm intrigued." She replied as they came up to a hovering broom. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. He didn't really expect her to get on that, did he?

"Uh, Darius. Dress?" She said, motioning to herself.

"You can sit sideways." he said with a devilish grin. She rolled her eyes. He slid on and she got on, albeit rather awkwardly behind him and twisted herself to she was facing the front.

"Hold on to me." He said as they took off.

She slid her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt very comfortable. They took off and soared though the air at a comfortable speed. As they crossed Hogwarts grounds, she watched as the trees below became buildings. They were small from the height they were at, but they looked lovely, with lights everywhere in the moonlight. The buildings got larger as they descended to an alley next to the main road. She was surprised nobody had seen them. They got down in an alley and he left the broom there and led her out of it.

"Sorry for the transport, I'll make it up to you." he said holding her hand and leading her out of the alley.

"You always know how to keep things interesting." She smiled, curious to know where they had landed. It was not Hogsmeade, but seemed to be a small city. People walked the streets, chatting softly to preserve the ambiance. As they walked up onto the sidewalk, she looked around; they were on a street that wasn't too busy. It was actually very romantic. On the side of the street they were at, was a line of restaurants going all the way up to the end. Opposite them, were little tables and chairs, to the corresponding restaurants to dine.

"Indoors or out?" He asked grinning.

"Outside." She answered, looking into the window of the huge place. It had fairy lights across the ceilings, little brown lanterns on tables and a very elegant atmosphere. He stuck out his arm again and she took it, mesmerized by the setting. As a waiter set up their table, she noticed how many people were actually in. There were quite a number of couples seated across each other and some looked up to stare at the extremely good looking pair that were standing outside the window and observing with keen eyes. She took her seat and was handed a menu. She looked across her, to Darius. It was almost as if he was nervous, waiting for her reaction.

"It's absolutely lovely Darius." She smiled at him.

"Almost as lovely as my date." He winked, returning to his usual self.

She laughed softly, but he saw a blush rise in her cheeks. They ordered the special which turned out to be an elegant array of chicken in some kind of champagne based sauce. It almost felt like being in France again. As they ate, they made light conversation, and Jade began to grow fonder of Darius. This date seemed like quite the effort, and he acted like a perfect gentleman. It was almost too good to be true. When dinner and dessert was over, Darius did not even allow her time to consider paying. He seemed offended when she made to suggest offering, and shook his head briefly before paying. It made her smile. They started to walk down the street, heels clicking on the sidewalk, hand in hand.

"That was wonderful." she sighed, walking close to him. He felt the warmth of her body next to him, and loved it.

"I'm glad you liked it." he said softly, admiring the full moon. They walked along the pavement, observing the little things like the ice cream stand, and the smell of the roses wafting from the flourist. She had left her flowers on the grounds when she was mounting his broom, and immediately felt guilty. He simply walked up to the flourist stand, picked up a white rose and gave it to her while she was watching the street orchestra. She took it and smiled, marveling at its beauty.  
The moonlight seemed to douse both of them in a pleasant glow. It was something out of a fairytale, or so Jade thought. They had reached a bridge, and looked across the water reflecting stars with the street music playing a romantic melody for the young couple.  
Jade felt a growing affection for the boy beside her, along with guilt for saying yes to him. It was a move she made out of spite for George's lack of initiative. She didn't know that Darius would do something this special for her. A trip to Hogsmead was what she had been expecting, and now that she was here in a scene from a movie, she felt awful. The feeling of guilt would not go away without him knowing the truth. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself.

"Darius?" Woken up from his reverie he nodded, taking her hand, seeking permission with a look. She just smiled and held it close, which was enough confirmation for him.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, seeing her face lined with worry.

"I need to tell you something." He nodded, wondering what he had done.

"This has been amazing." She said, trying to find the right words to explain herself. He smiled at this, seeming placated.

"Is that all? You had me worried." He said, smiling with relief and pulling her into an embrace. She hugged him and lay her head on his shoulder, unsure of how to say the right thing. Deciding it could wait, she pushed the guilt out of her system and walked down the rest of the way to get back to Hogwarts. _There's still time_. She told herself reassuringly. They walked back to the alleyway and got on the broom. This time she hugged him tighter, relishing being so close to him. She loved the warmth of his body against hers and the wind whipping past her as they tore through the skies with ease on his fire bolt.

She silently bade goodbye to the colourful, bright streets of the little city as the green forest came back into view below them. That place now seemed to belong to her, and Darius. It was their memory, their city to remember back on. Perhaps revisit. The thoughts came to her quickly, without her permission; revisiting it during the day- perhaps there would be more people; street artists, musicians, hawkers who would try to sell them flowers. Darius would buy her roses, and they would sway to the sweet music of a man with a guitar on the corner of a street. Perhaps a band would play in the square they had passed by, and they would sit down in a café nearby- enjoy the music and each other's company. These thoughts came to her without warning, they seemed intrusive, strangers entering her mind uninvited. She allowed herself to think about how simple it would be, how uncomplicated a relationship with him would be. No games, no wishful thinking, no waiting for the day he finally says that she is the one he has been wanting to be with since the beginning. No more questioning thoughts, no more jealousy or unanswered questions. _No more George_. That's what she knew it meant. And somehow, with all the potentially lovely memories that had just crossed her mind- she couldn't stomach the thought.

Soon she saw the castle in all its magnificence and grandeur and before she knew it, they had landed in the clearing. He left his broom there, but picked up the daisies that were beside it. She accepted them and managed to smile, while suppressing the mounting feeling of guilt. They walked in silence, holding on to each other, cherishing these last few moments together, for the night. When they were outside the fat lady's painting he stopped and pulled her to him. They looked into each other's eyes. She hoped he could not read her mind at that very moment, because it was a riot inside that she was losing control of.

"I had an amazing time." she whispered finally, focusing on him. He watched her lips move, they looked so delicate and soft. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right there, but he couldn't.

"So did I." He said sincerely.

"Thank you, for everything." she smiled lightly, the flowers still in hand.

"Believe me, it was my pleasure." He smiled and she felt butterflies in her stomach flutter. Maybe tonight was more than just a way to annoy George. It felt too good to be just that. She raised her head slightly and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight Darius." she smiled and took a few steps back. He slowly released her hand and slipped his into his pockets, willing himself not to lose the feeling of her fingertips on his. He watched her get through the portrait hole after one last smile at him, he felt his heart race.

It had been a good night.

She walked through into the common room, still smiling. The smile was wiped off her face when she saw George standing across her. His expression was almost pained, except for that look in his eyes. He stood there, not saying anything, but looking at her. She didn't move; looking straight at him; determined not to let him ruin the night.

He broke the silence with the last words she expected.

"You look beautiful."

She didn't know what to make of that, but she did know her heart was rapidly thumping against her chest, so hard it almost hurt.

"Thank you." She whispered back.

He took a few steps forward, his expression was carefully nonchalant.

"How did it go?" he smiled slightly. She let out a sigh of relief internally. He was being decent now, she could live with that.

"It was great." she smiled at him. "How did practice go?"

"Pretty good I reckon, we're getting better. But tonight is about you." he smirked and motioned to the sofa. She looked at him for a moment, feeling uncomfortable, but sat down anyway. He took the other end of the sofa which stung, but at least he was talking to her.

"Where did you two go?" he asked, slouched, but his face was turned toward her. A fire was blazing, making his eyes even more green than usual. His bright red hair was even more vibrant than the dancing flames. She focused on it as she wondered what she was supposed to say.

"We went to a town near here. It was nice, we had dinner and walked around a bit." The less he knew, the better. It felt too strange to relay all the details to him. Lowering her gaze to the bouquet, she toyed with the petals. When he said nothing more, she looked up and caught his gaze lingering on the flowers for a split second before looking back at her and saying, "Sounds very romantic."

"It was." she confirmed, unable to look into his eyes.

He chuckled, "So this bloke knows how to get a first date right." he said, smiling tightly. George had a sinking feeling in his chest from the moment she walked in with the flowers. He had hoped Fred and Lee were right about the date being mediocre at best. He had wanted for Darius Silver to muck it up so that it would be easier to tell her what he felt. George had been hoping that Darius Silver would make it easy for him. Hearing about how good the date was only made him feel worse than he already felt all day. He needed to know one last thing.

"Is it too personal, or can I ask if he kissed you goodnight?" he asked, holding his breath.

"You're my best friend George. Of course you can. He didn't." She replied softly. Saying those words killed her inside and for the first time that night, her stomach felt uneasy. Best friends. That's all they were.

It felt like somebody just delivered a blow to his gut, _best friend._ _Her fucking best friend. Good job you twat._

He could hear his heart hit the floor and he felt the pain spreading to his chest as he registered those words, _her best friend._

"So he's a gentleman as well." he said, feeling slightly relieved at her answer, but not the way he thought he would.

"Apparently. Or maybe he just doesn't like me." She said, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling.

"That isn't possible." He replied softly, staring hard at the ground.

She blushed. "Shut up." He sighed, all he wanted to do was hurt Darius Silver. For doing what he couldn't. For being there when he, George, wasn't.

"Alright there?" she asked softly. He was staring at the floor with a hard expression.

"You were the one who told me to shut up." He said, looking into those almond brown eyes. She rolled her eyes and got up to sit next to him. He grinned and her heart raced.

"So are you officially dating him now?" he asked seriously.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I don't know George. I mean it was one date, one amazing date. I'm not sure if anything is official." she said, leaning against the sofa, closing her eyes. His heart leapt when she said his name. It was painful to hear how bloody brilliant her date had been, but she gave him hope.

"That's nice to know." he said, winking. She couldn't stand him dropping these kind of hints. Internally, a little rage bubbled. Why couldn't he just be straight with her?

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

He got up and she did the same. "It means, it's good to know you're not completely unavailable." he said, smirking.

An expression of irritation crossed her features. It was exhausting, all these hints and flirting, with nothing happening in the end.

"What?" he asked, confused as to why she looked angry.

"Goodnight." she said and turned around, marching toward the steps.

"Wait, Jade, wait!" he said, taking her hand and pulling her back. She hated that her stomach lurched when he said her name. She hated him for putting her through all this. She hated the feeling in her that happened when he touched her. She turned and faced him, pouting slightly. He looked amused.

"What?" she asked shortly.

"What did I say?" He asked, wondering why she had gotten so mad.

"It isn't what you said. It's what you didn't say, and what you didn't do." She said finally, and he let go of her hand. He looked shaken up.

She sighed, and with a pained smile said, "Goodnight George." Turning she began walking up the stairs.

He stood there, registering what she had said. Of course, all this time, it was evident. But he was too late now. Or was he? To the retreating figure of the girl he loved, he whispered; "Good night Jade. Sleep well."

Her face slightly turned, the fire lit up half her face. He saw the pain in her eyes, and the same tortured smile on the lips that whispered back, "You too."

As she disappeared into the girls dorms, he fell onto the sofa, exhausted. This was different.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it. The story's about to get a whole lot more interesting over the course of the next few chapters. Stay tuned for a pretty serious change, and I don't just mean their relationships!**

 **Reviews would be appreciated :)**


	5. The Letter

**Hope you can excuse the size of this chapter, since the last one was so long. I'll be posting the next one soon! Thank you for favouriting & following this story!**

* * *

The next day he awoke with her lingering in his thoughts. He was going to do it, he decided. Tell her how much she really meant to him. He got ready and made his way down to the common room. He saw Lee and Fred there, animatedly discussing a quidditch match.

"Oi, where are you going?" Fred asked as George hurried past.

"To find her." He said, and he didn't have to say anymore. A grin spread across Fred's face, "Good luck mate." he said patting him on the back.

George grinned back and set off for the main hall. He saw Hermione leaving with a book in hand and stopped her.

"Have you seen Jade?" he asked, anxious.

Hermione looked annoyed but said "Good morning to you too. And yeah, she left to see Darius about 5 minutes ago."

He cursed under his breath. "Do you know where they were meeting?"

"Next to the green houses I believe."

A lot of things ran through his head. What would she do? Would he get there in time? What if he was too late? He weaved through the students and found his way to the greenhouses. He checked behind the first, it was empty. He walked around to the second and saw her back walking up to Darius Silver. He was going to call out but she reached him and they embraced. As they did he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. When they pulled away Darius cupped her cheek and leant in.

George watched as their lips met, he felt sick. He turned away, he couldn't watch any longer. He walked away slowly, the scene he had just witnessed kept playing in his head. Walking around, he found himself on the quidditch field. He went into the changing rooms and found his nimbus there. Grabbing it, he took it out and mounted on. Taking off, he felt the wind against his face. It helped clear his head. He tore through the air, watching the field shrink. He soared and went past Hogwarts grounds, not caring about who saw. His head was too crowded with thoughts of her. He went past the town, watching the tiny buildings turn into blurs. Finally he was past the towns and closer to the coast. He saw the little area of brown where his beach was. He thought of it as his beach because he went there to think. Nobody else knew about it, except a few muggles who would occasionally come to lounge on the sand and enjoy the cool water. He landed just outside where the sand started. Taking his broom in hand, he stepped into the cool grainy expanse. He looked onto the water, admiring its serenity. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his head.

It was beginning to get dark when he decided to get back. He mounted his broom and soared into the cold night. His mind was still processing what he had seen, from what he saw they looked pretty official to him. All he wanted to do was lie in bed and never face her again. He managed to sneak into the common room and get into bed without any questions from anyone. Facing Fred was the last thing on his mind. He collapsed onto the sheets and closed his eyes, trying to stop thinking about her. Slowly, and gratefully he drifted off to slumber, leaving his worries for the next day.

* * *

Jade climbed through the portrait hole at 3 am and was surprised to find Hermione scribbling away at parchment near the fireplace.  
"What on earth are you doing up at this hour?" Jade asked, making Hermione jump and drop her quill. Jade cleaned up the spill and went over to her friend.  
"I could ask you the same question!" Hermione said, sounding hassled.

"I was with Darius" she said, blushing.

Her thoughts drifted to the day's events. It all felt like a dream. She didn't know what to expect when she went to meet him. After the queer conversation with George she felt uneasy, but when she saw Darius, all those feelings went away. Well, most of them anyway. Remembering seeing him in the morning she smiled. She thought of the look in his eyes before he kissed her. How content he seemed. How she didn't want his expression to change. His lips pressing on hers, incredibly soft. His palm as he held her cheek. The smile on his face after he pulled away. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, no matter how cliché that sounds, it was the truth. Darius Silver was a brilliant kisser.

They spent the day together. Talking and laughing, and walking around the grounds. It felt easy and natural, chatting with him. No false pretenses, no drama, no secrets. When he took her hand as they walked, she felt good. _Then why was there a tugging feeling in her head, and chest that wouldn't go away? Why was something telling her it was not completely right?_ She knew the answer but she didn't want to admit it to herself. It was George of course. He got to her.

"Well, how was it?" Hermione asked, still scribbling away.

"He's pretty wonderful." Jade replied, smiling to herself.

"So you're together." Hermione stated.

"I suppose so."

"Are you happy?"

At this Jade paused, unsure of how to respond. The entire day made it simple enough that she didn't need to overthink it.

"Yes." She replied, finally not bothered with the thoughts of a red head.

* * *

The following day:

"Where have you been all weekend? Fred asked her at breakfast the next morning.

"With Darius." She said carefully, shovelling bacon into her mouth. She had fallen asleep beside Darius in the room of requirement and woken up early enough to re-enter the Gryffindor common room without being seen by anyone except Hermione.

"When did you get back last night?" He continued his interrogation and Jade felt even more uncomfortable.

"I dunno."

"Must've been pretty late, Ron said Harry and him were up all night doing homework." He continued.

"And you believe that?" Jade replied, rolling her eyes.

"Fair point. But you must have come in past 2 at least."

"So?" She asked, not enjoying the investigation.

"So, what were you doing?"

"Or who?" Lee added with a wink. George had sat through the conversation silently and his grip around his fork tightened at that remark. His heart sunk as Jade blushed slightly at Lees comment.

"It's nothing you need to know." She said, focusing on the food on her plate.

"Who was it, then?" Lee added sounding smug.

"Piss off." The conversation turned off at this point in Georges head. When he returned from the beach, he assumed she was sleeping in the girl's dormitory. He suddenly could barely taste the food he was mindlessly taking bites of.

"... So we decided to drop the enchanted garments and focus on sweets." Fred had just finished talking.

Apparently the conversation had moved in a different direction. He glanced at her face and saw that she was distracted, and kept looking to the table next to theirs; The Ravenclaw table. To heighten his bad mood, Darius Silver was strutting toward them. Before he could approach however, Jade practically jumped out of her seat and excused herself. They were far enough that George couldn't hear them talking but he could feel the jealousy clouding his mind as Darius put his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. She said something that made him laugh and she shyly leaned into his chest. George felt sick in the gut and he abandoned his cutlery, stood up and left for class.

Darius dropped Jade off to her Charms class and she took her seat as she saw a pair of red heads walk in. George didn't look too pleased and let Fred take the seat next to her, unlike every class. Jade didn't dwell on it and listened to Professor Flitwick's instructions, determined to not let the boys ruin her mood. She was cheerful as she chatted with Fred about the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, and her good mood only improved when she found Darius waiting outside class for her. He bent down to lightly kiss her cheek and she couldn't help but feel elated. Girls turned and murmured under their breaths, and she smirked as he told her about his day.\

One of the classes they had together was Herbology and she was so distracted by his laugh when he spilt cacti slime on another Ravenclaw's shoes, that she spilt some on herself. He laughed some more and cleaned off her uniform with a wave of his wand.  
The next few days were uneventful. The twins and Lee stopped asking where she went after they saw Darius kiss her when he dropped her off for Charms. George looked particularly sullen, and had not spoken to her much after that. She didn't know what to make of it and how she could deal with it. There was no reason for her to explain herself to him, and he did not exactly bring up the subject himself. She allowed herself to not think about it but continued to quietly miss his company whenever she was around the boys.

* * *

"I know he isn't pleased with me." She told Fred one Saturday morning. They were at the Three Broomsticks and were catching up with the progress of WWW and their lives.

"It's not exactly you, just your relationship." Fred offered as a consolation, sipping from his pint of butter beer.

"I don't really know what I'm supposed to do to make things better." She said, lowering her head dejectedly. Fred felt bad for his best friend. He could tell the Darius bloke made her quiet happy, and he only held a slight dislike for him on behalf of his twin. Fred and Darius were on cordial terms however, which pleased Jade.

"Just give him time, he'll come around." He told her, patting her arm reassuringly. She nodded and didn't say any more.

"He's just having a difficult time moving past... How he feels. He doesn't want to lose you as a friend."

"Really? Because that's exactly what it feels like." Her tone made Fred move to her side and put his arm around her for comfort. She liked the familiar feeling but knew that she would've liked it to be the other twin.

"I know he wouldn't just end your friendship over something this trivial." He told her, rubbing her arm. She nodded again and thanked him. Darius arrived shortly after and sat down for a chat with the two of them. His hair reflected golden streaks in the sun and distracted Jade for a while.

"Darling, can you hear us?" His voice broke her out of her reverie. Her thoughts briefly went back to the morning after she slept in George's bed, after she told him about her parents. She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt when she looked over at Darius.

"Yes, sorry, I was just drifting." She replied, focusing on what they were saying.

"I was just telling Darius about how we're going to destroy Ravenclaw in the match tomorrow." Fred smirked. Darius snorted and rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from her.

"You will come to our victory party, won't you?" She asked him, grinning.

"I wouldn't be able to stand it." He replied, playfully pushing her away.

"You loss." Fred winked. They returned to the castle shortly after. Jade's nerves were on edge, she had completely forgotten the match was the next day. Time had flown past, and she wondered if they were ready. George was in a corner with some people in their year, but she did not approach him. Her memory of the night they spent together had brought a further understanding to his stance on speaking to her. She wouldn't push him.

* * *

The next morning, she set out to the field with the twins, not speaking much. Everyone was anxious, and students cheered and jeered as they passed the grounds. Several of them sported red and gold rosettes with GRYFFINDOR plastered in the center, while others wore blue and silver ones, with an eagle in the middle. All in all, the audience didn't do much for their nerves. It took longer than anticipated, but Ginny managed to score the last winning shot as Harry caught the snitch, narrowly avoiding a bludger.

The crowd was deafening, and when the match ended Jade was grateful to be going back to the comfort of the common room. It had been generously decorated with gold and crimson streamers. Prototypes of the Weasley twins' indoor fireworks were floating around, there was ample food and drink courtesy of the house elves and Jade's spirits were at an all-time high.  
She danced with the rest of the team as loud music blasted from corners, but went to sit down as a slower song came on for the couples. As promised, Darius did not want to show his face at the Gryffindor victory party and went to drink with some of the Ravenclaws. Jade did not mind as she knew her house would not let him live the loss down.

The furniture in the room had been rearranged to allow for a small dance floor in the center of the room. Some students had taken the chance to test their nerves and were slowly swaying together to the beats. Jade sat next to Hermione, and sipped her butterbeer. She was surprised she wasn't sick of the stuff yet, maybe they had an enchantment to them. It came as an immense surprise when a towering red head approached the girls and asked for a dance. She assumed it was Fred at first, but then she saw his face and her heart raced. She took the hand he offered, and they made their way to the make-shift dance floor.

He didn't say anything as he pulled her closer and put his hands on her waist. He was looking into her eyes and she couldn't meet his gaze, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Hi." He finally said. His voice made her stomach lurch and she turned to see he was still looking right at her.

"Hello." She replied, moving with his body to the music.

"You played quite well today." She said after a few moments of silence. Is this what they were going to talk about all night? Quidditch?

"Thanks." He replied. The look in his eyes was one of reservation, she couldn't tell if he was still upset.

"I've missed you." He finally said after a few minutes of them rocking silently.

"I've missed you too." She replied, feeling her insides buzzing. He didn't look happy, though. They were so close now, her arms were around his neck and she remembered how nice it felt when they were close. How his hugs used to make her feel better when she was in a bad place. The look in his eyes changed as he sighed, and lowered his head.  
"I've been thinking about what to say to you." He said, sounding pensive.

"Have you come up with anything?" Her heart was beating quickly. She just needed to know if they were going to be okay.

"Yes." He started but paused before he continued. Jade caught a moment of vulnerability in his eyes and automatically felt herself move closer to him, to make him feel better. George took a breath and continued "I want you to be happy, but I'm not that selfless. I want you to be happy with me." His words made her heart race even faster, and she didn't know what to say.

"You should've said something earlier." She finally managed, dropping her gaze and furrowing her brows in confusion.

"I know." He replied, glancing down at her face to see what she was thinking. To his surprise, she looked irritated.

"Then why didn't you?" She finally asked, wanting the answer she had been thinking about for weeks.

"I was... I wasn't sure about how to go about it. Or what you wanted from me." He said lamely, hanging his head.

"I made that pretty clear." She said curtly, not looking at him.

"Oh really? How? You never said anything either." They had stopped moving now and were just fixed on the spot, arms around each other, looking cross.

"So you really didn't know what you mean to me? After everything I told you, and all the time we spent together?" George looked her dumbfounded. He noticed the common room light couldn't falter the reality of her beauty. Even as she glowered at him, he knew there was nobody else for him.

"You said… you just said what I _mean_ to you?" He replied, looking down into her eyes with a warm feeling spreading in him.

"I'm glad you're not deaf." She said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes.

"So, you still feel that way about me?" He said quietly, now a small smile creeping on to his lips.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. She dropped her hands from his neck but he didn't let go of her. She couldn't find a reason for her mistake, or so she wished it was. But she couldn't deny it. He was always on the back of her mind, waiting for her guard to slip so she could return to the moments they shared together. How comforting and sweet he was when she told him about her parents, how calm he kept her during times she ought to have broken down. She couldn't deny her feelings for him, but she couldn't tell him either.

"I'm- I'm with Darius." She stammered. George nodded, but the smile did not leave his face. It was unsettling and she was even more shocked when he pulled her into an embrace. She sighed and let herself relish the moment as his hands wrapped around her just tight enough.

"So are you going to speak to me now?" She said as she sighed into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I think it's about time." He said, grinning now. She couldn't help but feel elated at his new-found rush of happiness. She punched him in the shoulder and he put an arm around her. She sighed again, wondering what she was going to do about her partner.

"You still didn't say anything, you know." She said quietly, referring to their conversation earlier.

"All in good time, love." He replied, a new spring to his step as they made their way over to the staircases. The party had died down and only a few students were sitting about lazily chatting, and of course, the absolute mess remaining that the house elves had to clean up.

"I think we can agree your notions of good timing are absolute rubbish." She said, rolling her eyes.

He chuckled, and she couldn't help but smile at the reassuring sound. When he turned to her, there was a devilish look on his face.

"Saying anything now would be most inappropriate. You are with Darius, after all." He said gleefully, winking at her as he made his way up the staircase to the boy's dormitories.

"Goodnight, gorgeous." He called, turning around to wave, leaving her standing at the foot of the stairs, completely confounded.

* * *

Throughout the next week, George was a complete joy to be around, in theory. In reality, Jade could not figure out the reason behind his sudden change of attitude. He would talk to her normally, accompany her to classes and sit next to her as he usually did. He helped her with potions as he normally did, and even sat through an afternoon in the Three Broomsticks when Jade invited Darius. Although he didn't make deep conversation with the Ravenclaw, he had a smugness about him that was driving Jade crazy. Darius, on the other hand, was not pleased with his re-entry in her life. He didn't tell her, of course, but the weeks they had when George wasn't speaking to her, were some of the happiest he spent with her. He didn't have to think about what kind of feelings she might feel for him or vice versa.

* * *

It had been a week since their conversation, and in that week she had received a letter from France. It's contents had Jade worried, and she could no longer bother to wonder about George or Darius, or anything else in her life besides it. Two weeks passed and Darius had not gotten an answer from her as to why she had been so distant toward him. George had not asked questions either, but noticed her mood had changed. He was secretly hoping it had something to do with Darius.

She awoke one day with a headache. Wincing in pain, she wondered if Hermione could give her a cure, she didn't want to go to Madam Pomfrey for it. She got ready with difficulty and went down to the common room. She checked her watch, she wasn't late. Making her way down to the main hall, she remembered she hadn't done any of her homework. Charms was first period, which was alright. She needed to get her transfiguration homework done. Professor McGonnagall was not kind to slackers. Walking up to the Gryffindor table, she wondered idly if Hermione or Vera would let her copy theirs.

She spotted Hermione and two heads of flaming red, a few people closer to her. Her stomach lurched, for some reason she felt guilty. She took a seat in between Hermione and George, smiling weakly. He greeted her cheerfully enough and for that, she was grateful.

"Good morning" Hermione said, her mouth full of toast.

"Morning." Jade smiled, and then slightly cringed as she felt a stabbing pain in her head.

"What's wrong?" Alice Turpin asked, from beside Hermione.

"Headache."

"Oh, I've got these muggle pills my mum gave me. They seem to work well enough." She suggested. Alice was a half-blood. Her mother was a witch and her father was an old fashioned English lord.

"Do you have them with you?"

"Yeah, hang on." She said, and rummaged through her backpack, coming up with a small circular white pill.

"Wash it down with water." she instructed. Jade took it and with difficulty swallowed the little white solid, and drank a glass of water, feeling it pass her throat finally. Fred and George looked concerned as she swallowed them. Jade's complexion was paler than usual and she seemed to be unable to speak without cringing.

"I don't feel anything." She said, confused.

"They take some time to work." Hermione piped up.

Nodding, she took a long swig of water, and waited with her eyes closed. After Hermione's pushing, she ate an orange but not much else. Giving up on it, she decided to get to class but when she stood up the room spun. George put his arm around her waist immediately, holding her upright. She steadied herself on the table, and brushed off his suggestion to eat some more. As she walked with him, Darius approached him.

"You'll manage alright?' He asked, concern lacing his tone. Managing a small smile, she nodded and he left her side, inclining his head slightly at Darius.

"What's wrong?" He said immediately, sounding worried.  
"It's nothing, I've just got a headache." She replied, feeling it throb and wincing slightly.  
"You look like you're in pain."  
"Sounds about right."  
"Let's go to Madam Pomfrey."  
"I'll be fine, it's just a headache." She muttered, annoyed now. His persistence coupled with her pain wasn't a pleasant combination.  
"It could be something more serious!" He pushed  
"Darius, I said it's just a headache. Let it go!" She snapped, putting her face into her hands and taking deep breaths. She looked up and saw he looked upset and felt guilty instantly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not in a good mood." She said apologetically, hugging his waist. He nodded and kissed her forehead. When he dropped her to Charms, they didn't kiss, and that was the farthest thing from her mind.  
George didn't speak much so as not to disturb her. He witnessed her outburst with Darius and didn't fancy getting on her bad side. When she put her head face down on the desk, he simply rubbed her back comfortingly. She was getting paler by the minute and after she fell back down on her seat while trying to stand up, George asked Professor Flitwick if he could take her to Madam Pomfrey. Seeing her expression, the little Professor immediately said yes. She managed to walk with his support out of the classroom, but had to lean against a wall in the corridor for a break.

"Can I pick you up?" He asked after a minute of watching her stare at the ground with her face in her palms.  
"What?" She asked weakly, looking up at him. He looked quite worried and repeated his question.  
"Can I carry you?" She took a deep breath and nodded gratefully.  
He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and Jade wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his muscled arms supporting her and laid her head on his shoulder. He kept glancing over at her face, checking to see if she had improved but her skin was just as pale and he could see sweat droplets on her forehead. Now he was scared, he hurried over to the hospital wing and set her down on a bed.

After he explained what happened to Madam Pomfrey, she set out to fetch a potion and he took a seat on one of the chairs besides her bed, watching her. Her eyes were closed, but they opened as he brushed the hair out of her face. She smiled weakly and put a hand on his, he laced his fingers in hers and brought her hand up to his lips. "Thank you." She whispered weakly. He managed to smile but said nothing and continued to look into her eyes with a strong urge to take her into his arms. He was so afraid of what was happening, she had always been in perfect health and now this, out of the blue. Her hand was cold against his cheek and he watched her struggle to keep awake.

The last thing she could recall was Madam Pomfrey handing her a goblet of purple sweet smelling liquid, and sipping it only to slip away into darkness.

"Has she been under a lot of stress recently?" Madam Pomfrey asked after Jade had fallen asleep.  
"I don't know." George answered, realizing how distant they had been for the past few weeks.  
"Did something happen in her family?"  
"I'm not sure." He answered, feeling guilty now. What had been happening with her? He had been too selfish to even ask about her life. Only concerned with her relationship with Darius Silver. George felt like a complete prick.  
"Alright dear. Is there anyone who would be able to answer those questions?" The nurse asked, getting the feeling that George knew about as much as she did about Jade's personal life.  
"Yeah… I'll go get him." He replied, now dejected. Fred hadn't mentioned anything to him, so it must have not been serious. Or maybe she didn't tell Fred. There was a lot of things George knew about her that she didn't share with his twin. His feelings of guilt intensified.  
He went to the one place he could think of to find Darius. It was lunch now and the Great Hall was filling up with students. He looked among the Ravenclaws for the brunette, and found him next to a boy with blonde curly hair. George vaguely recognized him as being in their Herbology class and speaking with Jade a few times.  
"Silver. I need to talk to you." George said, feeling awkward between the stares of the Ravenclaws surrounding him.  
Darius looked up at George confused, but left the table with him.  
"Somethings happened to Jade." At this Darius' face immediately was wrought with concern.  
"She's alright, but she kind of fainted."  
"What? How?" Darius asked, brows furrowing in confusion.  
"I don't know. Madam Pomfrey has some questions you might be able to answer." George replied, kicking himself for having to resort to this.  
"Alright. Thanks for letting me know." Darius said, and left for the hospital wing. George didn't have the stomach to ask him whether he knew anything about her family life and what was stressing her out. He just went to the table to inform Fred and the others of what had happened.

"She did tell me about a letter she received from her family in France." Hermione said, a look of concern on her face. George sat there feeling immensely bad for the poor job he had done of being her friend for the past month.  
"Do you think that had anything to do with this?" He asked.  
"It might have. She seemed pretty worried about it when she got it."  
"Can we go see her?" Fred asked  
"She's had some sleeping draught."  
"Then she'll only be up in a few hours." Hermione said, still looking concerned.  
Fred nodded but said nothing.  
"It can't be that serious if she only got a sleeping potion, right?" Ron asked, looking to Hermione with concern.  
"Yes, of course. She's going to be fine." Hermione replied confidently, albeit her voice shaky.  
For once, George was glad to have his younger brother asking questions.


	6. Family Ties

**Ya'll know it's been a while, but if you still here then HEY! Thanks for sticking around! To be honest, the story's been too dry for me and I've been waiting a while to introduce the** ** _real (so as to speak)_** **plot that I've been working on! Thanks for keeping me humble, don't skip out on those reviews!**

Jade awoke with no idea how long it had been since she had drunk the potion, and attempted to sit up. Madam Pomfrey heard her stirring and came to her side, handing her another vial from her bedside.

"Here, dear. This will keep up your strength." True to her words, the potion revived her and she felt energy in her body return. She sat up in time to see a pair of red heads walking toward her bed.

"She has finally risen!" Fred proclaimed, outstretching his arms, as a look of relief appeared on George's face. He rushed over to her with a bouquet of white lilies, her favourite flowers.  
She smiled and accepted them, moving over to make space for him as Fred took a chair next to her bed.

"Good to see you up, love." George said, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. She blushed and look to her flowers feeling much warmer suddenly.  
"It's good to see you, both of you." She said, her voice hoarse from being unused.  
George conjured water into the goblet beside her and she sipped from it gratefully.  
"Good to finally see you too." Fred replied, pulling something sparking out of his pocket.  
"How long have I been out?" She asked, furrowing her brows. George had very subtly laced their fingers together and was stroking her hand with his thumb.  
"About a day now." George said quietly, watching her eyes widen in surprise.  
"What?" She said, shocked. The surprise made her head spin and soon enough she was resting her head backward to stop the room from moving.  
George immediately called for Madam Pomfrey who said it was probably due to the lack of food. He left to get her something from the Great Hall, while Fred showed her the latest prototypes of WWW non explosive sparklers to distract her.  
"You can do amazing things with this." She said, her eyes shining as she followed the sparks, watching the guys mess around.

"We're hoping to." Fred said, putting them back in his pocket.

"But don't tell anyone just yet. This was a special preview." He said with a wink.

When George came back, he watched her eyes light up and her musical laugh light up the room. He visited her several times during the time she was unconscious to check if she had woken up, and his heart had sunk every time he saw she was still resting. They had been worried when she did not wake up after a few hours, but Madam Pomfrey assured them it was normal.  
He brought her back a bowl of soup and a sandwich she was munching on when the twins demonstrated that the spark could fly. She watched gleefully as they passed it between themselves, and enchanted it to multiply and do routines for her. When they let her hold it, it was a curious sensation; it was not hot but it gently tickled the palm. When they multiplied it with their wands and began to perform a routine with the group, she was impressed.  
"This is going to be phenomenal." She said with awe as Fred finally put it away. There was a look of pride in their faces and Jade could see just how important this work was to them.  
Fred excused himself to go tell the others that Jade was awake, while George returned to her side.

"I was so worried about you." He confessed, now holding her hands in his.  
"Technically, you're my hero." She said softly, smiling and enjoying having him so close to her again. She gently ran her fingers along his face, not unaware of how her heartbeat had sped up. He sighed with contentment, and put his head down on her shoulder.  
"Don't scare me like that again." He said quietly, raising his head to look into her eyes. He could see how happy she was, and he never wanted to see her any differently.  
She pulled him closer and planted a kiss on his cheek. His stomach did flips as she looked into his eyes fondly.  
"I'll try my best." She said, squeezing his hand. He sat up before she could ask why, and saw that Darius had been walking toward the beds. She reluctantly let go of his hand and blushed at the wink he gave her before letting go of her hand.

George moved to the foot of the bed as Fred returned with Lee, Hermione, Harry and Darius.  
She couldn't read Darius' expression as he came over to see her. To her relief, a smile crossed his features as he saw her sitting up. His eyes glanced over at the flowers on her lap, and she noticed she was playing with one of the petals unconsciously. She placed the bouquet on the bedside table and hugged him when he bent down and sat on the chair beside her bed. The others took seats around her conjured by Hermione, and after well wishes Darius spoke.  
"How are you feeling?" He asked, the emotion in his eyes unfathomable.  
"I've been better." She replied, shrugging. He shook his head and unwrapped the slice of chocolate cake he brought her.  
She grinned at him and began to eat quickly as he told her about how he found out.  
"Demelza came over to us at the library and said she heard from Lavender Brown, who saw George carrying your 'corpse'"- at this he rolled his eyes-"over to Madam Pomfrey's"  
"Why would he carry a dead body to the hospital wing?" She asked, face stuffed with cake. George couldn't help but laugh at how adorably content she looked. Darius chuckled, "that's what I asked her."  
"I imagine she didn't take it well." She managed, still chewing happily.  
"Correct. She started a lecture about how I should be more concerned for your state than the insignificant details."  
"A corpse hardly seems insignificant." George quipped.  
"Brown is always trying to make things seem dramatic, she thinks people will pay attention to her then." Hermione said tartly, rolling her eyes. Jade stifled a laugh as the boys cracked up.  
"Got a vendetta against Brown then, have you Granger?" Fred asked, grinning. Ever since Ronald had taken to spending most of his time attached to Lavender Brown's lips, Hermione's moods had gotten significantly worse and it wasn't a secret.  
While the rest of them were focused on teasing Hermione, Darius moved his attention back to her.  
"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I had class."  
"There's no need to apologize. I had company when I woke up." She said, finishing her dessert with satisfaction.  
"Yes, I heard." His tone was weary and he sounded almost resigned.  
"It was only George and Fred "She said, not knowing how to handle his mood. George risked a glance at Jade and saw she was uncomfortable. She didn't need this when she was unwell, his hands twitched to hold hers and tell her it didn't matter.  
"Only them." Darius said with an unkind smirk.  
"What do you want me to say?"  
"We'll discuss it later." he said dismissively, standing up and bidding the others goodbye.  
Harry and Hermione decided to follow, not noticing how upset she was. She smiled blankly as they left and she sighed in exasperation at the prospect of thinking about matters of her relationship. The twins exchanged a brief look after which Fred declared he had to go finish off some homework in the common room, kissed her on the cheek and left with Lee.  
George returned to his former spot beside her. As he sat down, she leaned back on the head board and sighed.  
He took her hand and rubbed it in between his. She smiled weakly and turned to his concerned face.  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"I don't know what he wants from me."  
"What do you mean?"  
She bit her lip and didn't say anymore. Shaking her head, she simply sighed again and finally put her feet on the ground. George helped her get her balance, but her strength was back and she felt well enough to leave the hospital wing.  
George's hand continued to hover over her waist all the way back to the painting of the Fat Lady in case she needed the support and she couldn't help but grin at him.

"You're so good to me, George Weasley." She said when they finally reached an empty common room. They were standing in front of the fireplace and he could see the flames reflecting in her eyes. The fire cast a warm glow around him and she felt a pull toward his body; it was so warm and comforting.  
At those words, he pulled her into an embrace soundlessly and held her for a long time. His face buried in her hair as he inhaled her familiar scent. She had wrapped her arms around his waist and was content to stand there all night, which is why she thought it too soon when he pulled free. His eyes seemed pensive as his head swam in a flurry of thoughts and warm memories. He stroked her hair as they stood there, holding each other.  
"Not nearly good enough." He finally murmured, tracing her jawline with his fingers.  
"What?" She asked, confused, broken out of her trance of staring at his concentrated face.  
"I'm not nearly good enough to you." He repeated, still looking thoughtful as he continued to run his fingers along her cheeks  
She was about to protest but he put a finger to her lips and smiled almost ruefully. "Goodnight, Jade." He said and kissed her forehead gently.  
"I'll see you in the morning?" She asked, her big eyes staring to him hopefully.  
He smiled and nodded, and with one last hug, disappeared up the staircase.  
It was with a twinge of guilt that she found herself wishing she was going up with him too.

The next day she looked into the mirror only to see her complexion was considerably ashen, her hair was flat and her eyes; dull. She looked like a mess. Frowning at her appearance, she went to shower and hoped that it would fix how terrible she looked. It was unexpected, her illness. Madam Pomfrey had told her it could have been because of stress, and lack of food, and Jade thought about the events that had transpired to get her here.  
Her family history had lurked like a shadow, always following her. Never letting her forget where she really came from.

In 1965, Maximillian Archard was born to Louise and Ancil Archard.  
It was not until he was in his late 20's that it was revealed to him that his family was one of the most powerful magical families in Europe.  
Before this time, Max (as he was so fondly called by his family) simply believed the many witches and wizards who visited his house were just friends of his parents that they had acquired over the years.

It did strike him as odd when the Minister for Magic paid them a few visits over the years, and had even stayed for dinner, but he did not think too much of it. He wasn't ignorant, and he knew that his family's wealth had a great deal to do with their connection with the Ministry. Max was more concerned with his education- something his mother made sure of. He was a focused boy, and to his parent's relief- this focus came with a lack of questions toward the fleet of ministry officials that would frequent their home.

Another important aspect of the family he did not know about until he was about 15 years of age, was that his family performed magic that not everybody agreed with.

He had found this out by accident while he was at his aunt's house. The Montgomery's were not afraid to flaunt their wealth. They lived in a huge house with a compound that had enough room for their own fountain, a quidditch pitch, and several outhouses for their pets. Some said that the animals of the Montgomery's lived better than some people in the city.

There was a time when Max was over at this house visiting his cousin Renley when he stumbled upon a room that was locked. Curiosity getting the better of him, he unlocked it with a simple spell, and was shocked at what he found.

It was a large room resembling a dungeon. The lighting was dim and the walls were grey and old, not touched up for what looked like years. On one side he saw a glass chamber filled with green smoke that seemed to be moving. Next to it was a table with dusty bottles and vials. They appeared to have a rust coloured substance inside of them. Max shivered at the thought that crossed his mind- was it blood? On the other side of the room there was a clear cabinet that held an array of items. The place did not feel right to Max. He saw inside several things that sickened him.

One of them was a human skull that had turned brown with age. It contained a grim red light that made it seem like the eyes were glowing red. Next to it was a hand that was holding a candle. It was a sickly grey and had long unruly nails. There were rows upon rows of foul looking things that Max was sure did not serve to do people good.

Something did catch his eye, though; a gold chain with a pendant in the shape of an Alder tree. It was an image he had seen around another home.

A girl's home; Emile Monet. She had explained its significance when he visited her; The tree that her family had found to be of great medical use; the one that started their practice. The Monet's were known to have a history of great healers. They had discovered extensive uses for various herbs and used magic to create a variety of potions and treatments. It was around the time that her family began to associate with his- a generation ago when an aunt of hers married a brother of his father's. It was about the time the rumors began- that they were using darker methods to heal the most serious ailments than just herbs and some simple spells. The Monet's had taken great offence to these rumors and henceforth had wanted to sever all ties with his family, but her aunt had refused to leave his uncle which caused her to be shunned from the Monet family line.

All remaining ties between the families were cut, and Max had been forbidden to befriend Emile or her sisters since he began school. It was this very order, of course, that had caused them to develop a close friendship. In time that developed into a relationship that had to be hidden from both families, but the children were resilient. He was young, but Max knew he would not allow his family to remove Emile from his life. He never dared share this feeling with his parents though. They were very old fashioned and had several ideas that Max did not agree with, but he was stuck- with their name, and all the legacy that came with it.

After he found the room in his cousin's house- his worst fears were confirmed. Years later Emile shared some of the things her family had told her about his, and she was curious to know what he thought.

"Max! S'il vous plait, do not take offence." Emile called, following the curly haired boy past the fountain. They were on school grounds, and his blue robes flew past as he marched away. Emile rolled her eyes at his temper. It was uncharacteristic of him, but his pride was not.

"You are accusing my family of being death eaters!" He said, spinning on his heel and crossing his arms.

"I am only restating what ma famille has told me. I just wanted to know what you thought." She replied, suppressing her own temper. It was a trait she inherited from her half veela grandmother. So was the incredible beauty that had managed to capture Max's heart.

"I think it's insulting." He spat at her.

"Max, there are dangerous rumors floating around. About the kind of ideas your father has been spreading." She replied, unwilling to back down. Max had to take several breaths. He knew what she was talking about. His father had shared those ideas with Max, who found them repulsive. The purity of magic, how the muggles were a plague that was infecting their world. It was terrifying to know his own father believed that muggles were some kind of foreign species, as if they were barely human.

Emile saw the moment of fear that flashed on his face and moved closer to him. As she did, he watched her expression; it was concern. She was not afraid of him and he was grateful.

"They are true." He said, hanging his head in shame. Emile came up to him and put her hands on either side of his face so she could lift it to look at her. His eyes showed his humiliation. He did not want her to believe he could think that way. As if she could read his mind, she planted a kiss on his lips.

"I know you aren't like them." She said as he wrapped his arms around her. He held on to her- his saving grace. The one thing that made him believe there was a way to escape his family and their ideas.

"We need to leave. They are trying to teach me things, horrible dark magic. I cannot be a part of their plans." He said, still holding her. His thoughts returned to that dark room. To his immense shock, his father had called him into his study just a week ago and tried to 'educate' him.

 _"The future of the Wizarding World is at risk if we do not prepare ourselves, son. We have to be diligent, we have to take care of things ourselves." His father's deep rumbling voice had started. A sick feeling in Max's gut had told him that this was where things were going to get worse. And it did. His father had proceeded to tap his wand on a large bookshelf, which slide aside to reveal a staircase. Forced to accompany his father down it, Max looked with horror at a room that resembled the one at his cousin's house. There was a collection of dark objects in a large cupboard, but it was mainly just empty._

 _"You will come here twice a week to practice real magic. The Ministry is growing weak, they refuse to teach young wizards what they need to know. They are afraid of powerful magic." The conviction with which his father spoke had confirmed Max's notions that his parents and him could no longer coexist. That was when he told Emile he had to leave, and she insisted that she would join him._

 _"Darling, you have a future. Your family... It isn't like mine. I'm not asking you to give up your life here for me." He said to her when she declared she was going to accompany him._

 _"Shut up Max. You know that they will never approve of us, and I should hope that you know my future is you. This place means nothing without you." Emile's mind was made up, and the look in her eyes challenged Max to argue with her decision, but he knew it would be futile. So instead, he kissed her and told her that he would spend his life making sure she was always happy. While her heart was pounding with excitement at their future, there was no doubt that she was also partly devastated. Her family was incredibly important to her, but she knew that without Max, she could not live with them in resentment for the rest of her life. She had made a decision swiftly, and some would say in a rash manner, but she knew in her heart that she would never regret it._

"We will, two weeks and we will be away from all of it." She replied, still shocked at how far gone his family was. She always knew his background, her classmates talked- told her to stay away from him, that he was dangerous. They had spoken of dark magic and how it was part of his family but she never imagined that they would reveal how many of his father's friends had openly supported the Dark Lord. They had not been sent to Azkaban because of their influence, wealth and the information they provided to the Ministry, but she didn't realize just how much his own father believed in what they stood for. It scared her and that was why they had to run. She wanted to be free with him, save him from a life that would take him down dark paths.

They escaped to a town in Southern France two weeks later. She had performed a shrinking spell on their trunks and they had left without anybody the wiser.

It was to that Aunt's place they went. She felt there was nobody who would better understand their situation. Her Aunt Claire had taken them in without too many questions. She simply nodded understandingly when they explained their situation, and made up the guest bedroom for them to stay as long as they needed to.

"I cannot tell you how much we appreciate this, Mademoiselle." Max told her, still not believing the kindness of this woman.

"Trust me my dear, I understand." Claire said, smiling at the young couple. They were so determined, Claire couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. Starting out without support of family, building their home and finally settling in. It was hard, but they had done it. And now she felt less alone after all these years.

Her husband Robert and her had never regretted leaving their families to be together, he knew there was no way he would be able to continue staying in their influence. Meeting Emile and Max felt like seeing younger versions of themselves. It was strange how history repeated itself.

That day was an important day for the young couple. They had decided to forgo formal magical education- something very important to Max- and allow Claire and Robert to teach them all they had to know. Max went on to complete his OWLs and NEWTs, and dedicated his life to fighting the ideas his family was trying to spread, by becoming a learned wizard and educator. He formed an alliance with Robert and together they created a resistance toward pureblood wizards who wanted dominance over muggles in Eastern Europe. Emile however, continued on the path of healing with her aunt's assistance and learned as much as she could about her family secrets. It was to her luck that before leaving the family, Claire had taken it upon herself to smuggle with her a copy of the family journals belonging to a great grandmother that found the alder tree that begun their family's practice.

That was sufficient to make an expert out of the eager-to-learn Emile. Somewhere down the line, they managed to get their own house and were contacted by Emile's family who was disappointed by her decision to leave, but still wrote to her. It was her grandmother that was persistent, and even visited them a few times, one of those times to see her great-grand child; Jade Monet-Archard.

She was a beautiful baby with almond brown eyes inherited from her father, and auburn brown hair inherited from her mother. The day of her birth was the happiest day of Max and Emile's life, and they vowed to make sure she would always be safe. A promise that Emile's sister, Marie watched her make. She was one of the people who reconnected and reconciled with Emile, and later Claire. Marie was devastated when her sister abandoned them, and was overjoyed when they found out where she had remade her life. She proceeded to keep in touch with her older sister consistently and even moved to the same neighborhood when she married her husband- Charles Matthew Bordeaux. A simple wizard who worked in a bank, and cared for not much but quidditch scores and accounting. He was troubled when he was informed about Max's past, but respected the couple for their courage.

It was her mother's side of the family that Jade knew the most about; Their healing abilities- the magic they used was powerful, old, family magic. It was blood magic, and it was like nothing she had ever seen before. Her mother had taught her since the time she was a child- about the healing properties of plants, about how spells could be combined with nature to help people. That's all she ever wanted to do- help people. Heal them, cure them, and make their lives better.

The letter she received had worried her because her last remaining connection to her mother had been in danger. Her aunt had fallen ill, and her condition was making her very weak. She could no longer move around. Jade was terrified. She had already lost her mother, she could not lose Marie. She had planned to ask Dumbledore if she could visit her for a few days to see what she could do. She had already reached out to the rest of her mother's family, asking for help. They were healers, it was their duty to help Marie. Her aunt had warned her against it, said that they would not comply because they saw it as punishment- for siding with her mother and abandoning the family but Jade did not care. She would go to them herself if she had to. She could not lose her Aunt Marie. These matters had been troubling her for weeks on, and she had nobody to talk to about it. George was the only one who knew about the nature of her parent's death, and of her living situation. He had chosen the perfect time to shut her out.

Since they were reconciled, she thought of telling him what was happening but was hesitant. It was too much. She would have to explain everything, it would be too much information. She could simply tell him her aunt was ill, and that she was worried about her. That would do.


	7. For You

The affairs with her family were on her mind as she sat in the common room. She had taken to staring outside the window absentmindedly, watching large thestrals flying together. It was hard to believe she wasn't dreaming. She knew what they were and who could see them. It was a strange kind of magic. Magical creatures had always fascinated her. Seeing nature exhibit magic, to know this was all natural; the blood in their veins carried it, it was something she would always be in awe of. She thought of this as she watched them fly away.

She had watched a man get killed, that was why she could see them. Magic revealed itself to her because of what she had been through. It was strange, but she was intrigued by it. That was why regardless of her family history, she was so drawn to magical creatures. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that called her name.

It was George Weasley. He stood in front of her, looking concerned.

"Hi George" She managed, returning to her reality.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting down next to her. She couldn't help but feel slightly happier with his presence. That bothered her, how much he could affect her happiness. It felt like a weakness and she didn't like feeling vulnerable.

"Better." She replied. He was looking at her strangely, he looked concerned but with a combination of another emotion that she couldn't quite understand.

"I wanted to ask you something." He admitted, and now Jade understood it was guilty mingled with the concern.

"Alright."

"Has something happened recently, in the past few weeks?" She knew he was referring to the reason she had fainted. Waiting a few moments while she thought of what to say, she decided on telling him about her aunt. He nodded and expressed his sympathies but looked unsettled.

"You're doing that thing again, you know."

"What?"

"That thing where you keep yourself from telling me the whole story." He said quietly, wondering if their weeks apart has caused her to lose trust in him.

"It is not that simple." She sighed, looking outside the window again. _How much is too much?_

"I am here for you, I promise." He said, taking her hand. She nodded and took a moment to think about what to say. What would he think of her?

"I think I might know how to help her. I want to ask Dumbledore if I can go see her." She said as he watched her expression remain blank and far away. He knew she was done elaborating so he simply nodded and stood up. She watched him with the same expression of emptiness.

"Come take a walk with me." He said, still holding her hand.

"I don't really feel like it."

"Please." He asked, feeling helpless. To his relief she agreed and soon they were out on the grounds, walking toward the lake.

When they reached a familiar space- a large hollow tree with a clearing next to it, he stopped walking abruptly and turned around to face her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small device, Jade recognized it to be an mp3 player. A muggle invention, that probably belonged to his father.

George began to wave his wand and muttered a few incantations and suddenly music began to play from the tiny speakers- magnified a great deal.

"Dad figured out how to make it work with magic." He explained at her curious expression. She smiled knowingly at Arthur Weasley's fascination for muggle things.

George set the mp3 down near the tree and took her hand. They began to sway together, and she rested her head on his chest, listening to the melodies. It was a slow song that calmed her and cleared her thoughts until she only focused on moving in the right pattern. George was a surprisingly good dancer, and she couldn't help but smile as he guided her through more complicated steps.

"Someone's been practicing." At this, he playfully bumped into her and caught her as he lost her balance. Her laugh seemed to revive the warmth that had been missing in him for weeks, and he pulled her closer into his chest- cherishing the feeling of being together. In time he hoped she would trust him with secrets that seemed to be plaguing her, but for now, he was glad that she allowed him this time at least.

Together they danced until a more upbeat song played which made George swing Jade around in a ridiculous manner, eliciting a laugh from her- a sound George had missed dearly.

The sky inevitably grew dimmer as clouds invaded their peaceful, almost dreamlike time together, and they walked back to the castle in time for dinner. George took her hand, uncaring if Darius Silver would see or not, encouraged by the fact that Jade didn't seem to care either. His twin had been right, they were inevitable. George liked that way of putting it. They were bound to find each other, and he did not mind that one bit.

Darius Silver did indeed see, and instead of sadness, there was a hollow rage that filled him. It infuriated him that she didn't seem to care, and it did not occur to him that her mind was preoccupied with other things. While he was busy convincing himself of her indifference, he failed to notice that she was still barely eating- only being forced to by the encouragement of George and Hermione- and her contributions to any conversations were minimal. The twins and Hermione remained concerned as she seemed to withdraw from them, only seeming interested when any mention of Dumbledore came up. When Darius finally went up to her the next day to speak, he seemed to have broken her out of a reverie. She spoke with little emotion, which he mistook for disinterest in their relationship.

When he asked her to speak with him on the Quidditch grounds, he wasn't expecting much resolution.

"I feel like a fool, Jade. Is that what you take me for? I knew of your feelings for him." He had exclaimed in the middle of their conversation about her health. He could not help himself.

She started to say something, but she knew he was right. She knew her feelings for George were far too deep to ignore.

"Is there something I should know Jade?" He asked, shutting his eyes tight.

"Yes, I suppose there is." She sighed with a resigned look to her face. The previous day's events came to mind, and the combination of that memory with her concern about her aunt's condition resulted in a rash judgement that she couldn't be bothered constantly worried about Darius' feelings. She knew how she felt about George, and that it wasn't going away. She also knew that telling Darius about her family was not something she ever intended to do, so she made a choice.

He swallowed and waited for her to continue.

"George has feelings for me."

"And are they reciprocated?" He asked. The question hung in the air, lingering. For a few moments there was a steely silence until she broke it by answering;

"Yes." she said dully. Her eyes were still distant as she felt a slight twinge of guilt.

"I see." He said, getting up.

"I'm sorry." She said while a wave of pain hit her, breaking her out of her bubble. She saw how much hurt was on his face and slowly remorse creeped into her.

"Don't be sorry for the way you feel." He smiled tightly, and bent down to kiss her lightly on her lips, before turning to leave.

Watching him walk away, she suddenly couldn't believe how careless she had been. She got into this relationship as a retaliation and defiance of her feelings of George. It was incredibly selfish not to even think of Darius' feelings.

She found herself in the common room alone, everybody else seemed to be out. Then she noticed somebody at the couch; it was George. She was embarrassed to see him in her state. The combination of guilt and stress about her aunt had resulted in her breaking down in tears as she walked to the common room. Luckily, nobody had seen her but now George watched her with an expression of shock.

Looking at her expression he stood up. Confusion swept his mind, her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

''What is it? What happened?''

''We broke up.'' She whispered. Somehow that news didn't make him any gladder. Seeing her like that was devastating.

His palms curled up into fists, "Why did the git do it?'' he said through gritted teeth, rage clouding his mind. He could feel the anger pulsing through his veins.

''I broke up with him George.'' She said, throwing him off. His expression changed and he was about to say something but she turned away.

''Look I just really need a friend right now.'' She said, wondering if Hermione was up in her dorm studying.

"We're friends remember?'' George said, walking up to her. His strong arms enveloped her and she fell into them, grateful for the support and comfort.

He stroked her hair gently and wiped away her tears.

They sat down on the sofa and her head rested on his chest as he gently stroked her back.

''I didn't mean to hurt him.'' She murmured. "But I couldn't do it anymore. The look in his eyes whenever he spoke to me, I couldn't reciprocate. It wasn't fair."

He said nothing but wiped away more tears.

After a few moments she stopped crying and lay with her head rested on the couch. George sat on the opposite side, staring at the fire place. He had moved away because he knew she needed space.

"Well at least now you don't have to sneak in and out of the room of requirement. I reckon Filch was getting suspicious." He said absentmindedly before a pillow smacked him on the face.

"Don't be a git." She said, unable to prevent the small smile on her lips.

"You throw like Ronald." He scoffed, tossing the pillow on her.

Within seconds, both of them had armed themselves and cushions were being tossed back and forth.

"Oy! What's going on here?" Fred's voice called from the entrance. Lee and he looked upon the two with amused and surprised faces.

George and Jade shared a wicked look for a millisecond before Fred and Lee were hit. Their laughter echoed through the room as pillows flew about like missiles. After an hour, they lay on the fluffy mess on the ground amidst each other.

"So what was this about?" Lee asked, panting.

"I broke up with Darius." Jade said quietly, coming to terms with it.

"Oh, sorry love." Fred said, propping himself up on his elbow to face her.

She turned toward him and smiled weakly, "Thanks."

"You alright?" Lee asked concerned.

"I'm not sure." She breathed, staring at the ceiling with a bemused expression.

George lay silently, contemplating what this meant for them. He wasn't sure of her feelings toward him, but of one thing he was;

He wanted her to be happy. Right now, his feelings would have to wait.

The four of them lay there chatting until they gradually began to fall asleep.

When he awoke, George found her in his arms. Her face was peaceful and devoid of emotion. Her chest rose and fell softly with her breaths. Even with her hair splayed out all over his chest; she looked beautiful. For a few minutes he watched her and traced her jawline lightly with his fingertips; marveling at her beauty.

Her eyelids began to flutter and soon her almond eyes stared back at him. Raising her head, she looked around. He feared that when she found the position she was in, she would draw away quickly. Her recent moods had made him miserable too because there was nothing he could do to help.

To his relief, she simply smiled and him and lay her head back on his chest. Closing her eyes, she murmured, "Morning." and snuggled closer to him.

Internally, he smiled. "Morning," he replied, putting his arm back around her.

They lay like that for a few moments, while he wondered what she was thinking. After a few minutes she drew a breath and began to sit up. His heart sank as she slipped from his arms and did very feline-like stretch. She bent down to plant a kiss on his cheek.  
"Thank you." She whispered.

He said nothing but simply took her hand and began to play with her fingers.

Propping herself up on one elbow, she silently watched his green eyes focused. They were mesmerizing. When you first looked at them, they seemed to be a light brown, but they were actually green with flecks of hazel. As she pulled back her hand, he sighed and looked back at her.

"Anytime. But you should know that by now." He finally answered sincerely.

Her steps dragged as she walked up the stairs to the girl's dorms.

Thoughts rushed through his head as he watched her retreating figure, but he stopped himself. Friends. That's all. For now.

They met again in the great hall for breakfast. Nothing was said about the previous night except when Fred and Lee went into an argument of who threw worse. Of course George added how Jade throws like Ron, which caused Ron to flare up and threaten them with telling their mother about the products they were selling. That made the twins dare Ron to and see what he would wake up as the next morning, which shut him up quite effectively.

Hermione walked in late, looking rather knackered and asked about the mess the common room was in, which only lead to more laughing.

"We're off. Bye.'' Hermione told the guys after they finished breakfast.

"Yeah, practice at 5 right?'' Jade asked.

"Yup. See you then.'' George replied, his mouth filled with sausage.

As the girls left Hermione began questioning Jade and got all the details by the time they were in the girl's dorms, except the part about the pillow fight.

"I still don't know why you didn't come to me last night.'' Hermione said, looking worried.

"When I came back to the common room, George was here. He was amazing, he listened and we talked and then when Fred and Lee arrived, we had some fun.''

"I'm so sorry about Darius.'' Hermione said, sympathetic.

"It had to happen, I was in that relationship for all the wrong reasons.''

''I know.'' She replied smugly.

"Oh shut up.''

''So now what?''

''Now I'm single and fine with that. I need a break from these feelings.''

''They won't go away you know.''

''Maybe not, but for now I'm happy being on my own.''

''Good. That's all that matters.'' Smiled her best friend.

Jade flopped down on the bed. They had slept on at 2 or later and she was feeling the effects of the lack of sleep.

''You know I went to the library today morning. It was quite early, just about everyone was asleep." Hermione said in a suspicious tone.

"And?'' Jade asked, wondering what she was getting at.

''And I saw you. And George.''

''Oh.''

''Oh?''

''That was nothing.'' Jade said, biting her lip.

''Really? It didn't look like nothing.''

''Well it was. So shut up.'' Jade said firmly, covering her face with a pillow.

"You like him.''

''I do.'' She finally admitted with a sigh.

''A lot.'' Hermione probed further.

"And your point is?''

''Why don't you tell him?''

''I think he knows already.'' Jade replied, furrowing her brows. I mean he should know by now. Everyone else does. She thought.

"Then why on earth are you two not together already?'' Hermione asked, throwing her hands in the air, exasperated.

"I don't know okay? It's pretty complicated." Hermione didn't know the real reason for Jade's breakdown, and Jade didn't intend to tell her.

"Actually it's not. He fancies you, a lot may I add, and you fancy him too."

"Thank you Sherlock."

"Don't get snarky with me. You two just enjoy prolonging this."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Wait no!" She cried, holding her hands up. "You're afraid of commitment! That's it!" Hermione said, her eyes lighting up.

"Excuse me?"

"You've never had anything remotely close to a committed relationship, and neither has George. I mean I think he's more open to it than you and you're afraid of getting hurt because he really means a lot to you." Here Jade rolled her eyes "And so you're stalling."

"I appreciate the analysis of my relationship with George, but I think I'll handle it."

"You haven't been handling it very well."

"Why are we discussing this again?"

"Because you two need to get yourselves together!" She exclaimed shrilly.

"It's none of your business!"

"Actually, it has become my business. You have no idea the effect the boy has on you."

"Actually I do."

"Then I am completely blank as to why you're not just telling him."

"It is not that simple Granger."

"Fine. But it's only going to get worse."

"What is?"

"Being around him. I see how you two act when you are together. It's going to get harder."

"It's always been easy though. I mean that's why I like him so much. It's easy to talk to him and be around him. He usually, always makes me smile and I love spending time with him."

"So it hasn't been the least bit awkward?"

"Well, obviously when I was with Darius it was. It was quite awkward, but usually... Usually I love being with him.''

''I can't wait for you two to finally get together!''

''That won't be for a while... I need some time... And who knows, maybe he won't want me then.''

''I doubt that.'' Fred's voice said out of nowhere. Suddenly his head popped from behind the drapes into view. The girls sat up, surprised.

George was next, coming up beside his twin. He had a smirk playing on his lips.

''He's right.'' he said, looking right at Jade as she dropped her gaze and turned a delicate shade of red.

''Have you two been eavesdropping?'' Hermione asked, horrified.

''Barely, we came to return your book.'' Fred said innocently, holding up a textbook.

''Both of you.'' Jade said, rolling her eyes.

"Well... Yeah... Hermione come here a second.'' Fred said, taking her hand and pulling her down the stairs away from Jade and George.

"Look… Whatever you heard...'' Jade began, flustered.

''Stop.'' George halted, holding up his arms.

''I'm not asking for anything. I'll be whatever you need me to be Jade.'' he said, pushing his hands into his pocket.

She nodded, grateful and then stood up with a look in her eye that George couldn't read.

"But what if you get tired waiting for me? What if there's someone else for you?" She asked, her voice stained. Comprehension dawned on his features as she refused to look away. He felt bad for being slightly pleased at her implication of jealousy, but he took a few steps to close the distance between them and took her hands in his.

"There's not going to be someone else, anyone else. You've got me completely, and that isn't going to change." He said sincerely. Jade felt a strength in his words and immediately felt reassured.

"Thanks Georgie.'' She whispered, putting her arms around his waist. She lost herself in the warm embrace and sighed into his chest.

'' For you, anytime.'' he repeated.

"A bit earlier than I expected.'' Fred's voice interrupted the moment.

"Piss off." George shot back.

"About time." Hermione smirked from beside him.

"Friends, for now.'' George said the first word with emphasis, but with a wink and Jade rolled her eyes.

''For now.'' Fred repeated with a wink and dragged him off.


	8. About Time

**3 chapters in one day? Yeah. 3 chapters in one day.**

Transfiguration was the first class for the day. Jade's heart thundered uncomfortably as she walked past a group of Ravenclaws. Hermione was going on about how her cushion last class still looked reasonably hairy. Earlier during breakfast, Professor McGonagall had approached her and let her know that Professor Dumbledore was back in the castle and she could meet with him the following evening. Jade had been filled with anticipation since.

As they entered the classroom, a tall brunette stuck out amidst blue crested robes. Quickly averting her eyes, she sat down as McGonnagal entered and began to take attendance. The class was uneventful as she tried her best to avoid Darius, and apparently he was doing the same- according to Hermione anyway. As they made their way to Charms, she could feel a sick feeling forming in her stomach. It felt odd to be ignoring him in this manner, but another part of her mind knew it was best for the moment.

Two bright heads of red stuck out among the students already chatting up the classroom. George's eyes picked up and went straight to her as she entered and made her way to her desk. Internally she rolled her eyes at the crowd around the twins, listening to some story about Filch's hidden stash of forbidden something-or-the-others.

Abandoning his audience, George pushed his way out of the group of students and went straight up to her desk.

"Hi.'' he said with a grin that she couldn't help mirroring.

''Hello.''

''How was transfig?'' he asked, his tone weary, giving away his double meaning.

''It was alright. Toads to tea cups, the usual.''

''Tea 'coasies' '' Hermione corrected.

''Same thing.'' but Granger's upturned nose said she thought otherwise.

''Right. So it was fine?'' he asked again.

''I didn't talk to him.'' Jade sighed, knowing that's what he really wanted to know.

He said nothing but nodded, and she leaned in closer.

"What is it Weasley?'' He avoided her gaze.

"I don't want him to change your mind.'' he confessed.

With a satisfied smile, she replied ''Oh trust me. He isn't going to.''

Professor Flitwick walked in just then, causing them to settle down. He took her hand and dragged her to where Fred and Lee were.

''Would you look at those two'' Fred said, wiping his cheeks of fake tears.

''They grow up so fast.'' Lee answered with a faux proud smile.

''Piss off.'' Shot Jade, rolling her eyes with a smile.

George simply watched Flitwick talk and tried to focus half-heartedly. She took his free hand under the table and began to trace patterns on his palm. His head slightly tilted as he carefully watched her concentrated but adrift face. Suddenly his palm curled around her fingers as he brought up her hand to his side. She was pulled toward him and found herself looking into his green eyes.

The corner of her mouth rose lightly as he stared at her.

"What?'' she asked, feeling herself internally cringe at the warm feeling spreading in her chest.

"I have a surprise for you." He confessed, smiling mysteriously. A spree of thoughts crossed her mind but she had the feeling they were being watched.

She quickly glanced in Flitwick's direction to check his whereabouts but he was busy reprimanding Bradley Cooper for throwing dung bombs into the rat cages. George was now watching her curiously as she looked across the room to Hermione who was giving her a suspicious look. As soon as Jade's eyes met hers, her head swiftly turned to Flitwick.

"What's the matter?" George murmured.

"Nothing." She replied, wondering what was going on with her best friend.

"A surprise?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, a smirk beginning to form. His green flecked eyes were so close, they were captivating.

"Yes, what are you doing today after potions?" He asked, letting go of her hand. She brought it up underneath her chin.

"I'm going to see my surprise, with you." She smirked, turning to the front.

From the corner of her eye she saw him smile and she knew then, she had made the right decision.

The rest of class passed with George and her seeing how high they could take two cushions without dropping them, or Flitwick noticing. Somewhere in the 7th foot, Fred and Lee joined them.

It was quite comical as the entire class struggled not to burst out laughing when Fred pushed over Lee and his cushion nearly fell on Flitwick. Luckily he recovered in time to keep it in the air. It was also a struggle to the class to keep their eyes on their tiny professor, and not the floating fur covered cushions that were dangerously wavering as Lee tried to get Fred back, and George and Jade struggling to keep their cushions up through muffled laughter. When the bell rang, Jared Muffarty had to drop an exploding pixie cup at the door of class to distract Professor Flitwick so the four could land their cushions in their box at the corner of class.

Turning their laughing heads away from a suspicious Flitwick, they headed toward the History of Magic classroom, taught by the ghost; Professor Binns. All throughout the day, all she could think of was speaking to Dumbledore.

Maybe she ought to prepare a list of things so she wouldn't forget to say exactly what she had to. So far her plan was not very clear. She only had a vague idea of how she was to contact her mother's side of the family, and at the very back of her mind, if that didn't work- the last resort. With a slight shudder she pushed that idea out of her train of thoughts. It was just if she had no other options, and she couldn't bear to even think of the details. George had noticed her distance and as the day passed he started to second guess himself. Maybe she still was not ready for what he wanted to tell her. Maybe it was selfish to think only of his own feelings when she so clearly had other things on her mind. With that sentiment, he pulled her aside after their last class to talk in the Great Hall.

"I think we're going to have to post-pone the surprise, love." He told her, sitting down on the wooden benches in the hall. Her expression changed as she sat down next to him.

"Why? What happened?" Her face almost made him regret those words, but he knew that it was only fair.

"You've got a lot going on right now, and you should know that regardless of how much you want to tell me, I'm here for you. I'll do whatever you need me to do, and I want to be your friend right now, more than anything else." The emotions running through her finally focused on gratefulness and she had to take several deep breaths to not allow tears to escape. George was once again, reminding her of why she loved him- for putting her first, for being considerate and first and foremost- a good friend.

She took his hand and smiled. "Can we go up to the common room?" He nodded and they took their leave. They made their way up to her bed because she finally decided what to tell him.

"I know what I told you about my parents may have seemed out of context, but it's because there's history that I didn't know myself until quite recently." She began, still holding his hand as he sat across her on the bed. He tensed at the mention of her parents, but she didn't seem to be dwelling on it. Her eyes were looking into a place far away.

"My parents weren't exactly a conventional pair. They had histories that they left behind to start anew, with each other. It was the only thing they could do if they wanted to stay together. What I'm trying to say is that their families didn't exactly get along." George was listening intently, and encouraged by his interest, she went on. The words came easily, and she felt none of the strain she thought she would experience. It was almost freeing. But that was the easy part, she found the next few words didn't want to let go of her lips.

"My real name is Jade Monet-Archard." She watched his brows furrow and took a deep breath.

"The Monets are my mother's side of the family. Most of them were and are practicing healers. They have been for decades. The Archard part is from my father. His family was... Different. They practiced-" At this she paused, tensely reading his expression for hostility. Her heart was pounding but he only looked curious. Seeing her worry, he moved closer to her.

"They practiced dark magic. My father left them before his family could teach him too much. He never believed in what they preached, you see. He left as soon as he discovered how bad it was." She sounded desperate almost, trying to convince him she wasn't like them. Trying to convince him she wasn't part of that side of her blood.

"How bad was it?" George asked, his face almost expressionless. She could feel her throat closing up but she forced herself to speak.

"My grandfather... He-he had friends who were death eaters. They supported Voldemort. They-they fought for him." She heard herself stammer and immediately a sheet of ice wrapped itself around her lungs. His tone scared her, as if he associated her with those kinds of people. George took a deep breath and didn't look up at her. She forced herself not to cry, she would not show more weakness in front of him. After what felt like forever, he moved her face so she was looking directly at him.

"Are you worried that I think less of you, now? That I would ever believe you're like them?" He asked, his voice cutting through the coldness in her. She said nothing but looked into his eyes, they were determined, fierce. But what made the warmth rush back into her was that they were also kind, and gentle. The same eyes that comforted her everytime she needed him, the same ones that would defend her and stand by her side during the hardest period of her life.

"It is a lot to take in." She replied, looking down at her hands. They were still holding his. He wrapped the other arm around her and pulled her into his chest. "Go on, love." Pulling his palm up to her face, she settled into his arms and continued with renewed confidence. She told him about the aunt and uncle that eloped, and explained how her Aunt Marie had moved to be closer to Jade's mother. Only then did George understand how greatly Marie's connection to Jade was.

"I think she keeps me so close because I'm the only connection left to my mum." At these words, George's heart seemed to ache. It made her loss seem even more fresh and her behaviour for the past few weeks completely reasonable. He also felt immensely guilty for the way he behaved toward her, distancing himself when there was so much brevity to her difficulties.

"I have to do everything I can to help her. She is all I have left of them." She said, finishing the explanation about her aunt. He nodded in understanding and brought her hand up to his face. His expression reassured her.

"So... Is there anything you want to know?" She asked, pursing her lips.

"Why the last name BelleRose?" He finally asked, rubbing her arm. At this, she smiled.

"My aunt wanted me to be untraceable, in case whoever attacked my parents tried to find me. When it was time to change my name, she picked it because my parents used to call me their little rose." George couldn't help but smile too, and as she sat up and brushed her hair from her face- he had such a mix of emotions running through him. There was concern and admiration, but most of all a deep affection. The small things about her that he knew, never in his life he would forget.

She looked up at him with her dark honey eyes and her heart began to speed up as he moved closer toward her. He put one arm around her waist, and leaned in. Their lips finally met, delicately at first before they held each other.

It was a slow and gentle kiss, his arms wrapped around her waist as she put a palm to his face. After all the things they had been through, it was nothing like Jade imagined kissing George would be. His lips were soft and they seemed to slip away from hers too quickly, but she felt a rush of elation run through her and nothing else crossed her mind besides how firm his hands were on her waist, or how hard his arms felt under palms. When he pulled away, she couldn't help the grin that broke out across her face and seeing this he mirrored it.

"That was long overdue." George said, hugging her close to him.

"Couldn't agree more." She replied, still grinning up at him.

"It was worth the wait though." She rolled her eyes at his sweetness and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"So you don't think my story is crazy?" She asked, still beaming. He laughed and hugged her tight.

"No my love, but I do regret behaving like an absolutely git this entire time." He replied, in a manner of apology.

"You should regret that either ways." She said, rolling her eyes at him. He kissed her on her cheek, unable to resist her pouted face. The rush of elation hadn't left her body yet. This kind of happiness hadn't passed through her in a very long time and she held onto it, savouring how deeply she felt it.

"I do babe, I really do." He sighed and she regretted what she said instantly.

"Forget it. Really." She said, sitting up and seeing him begin to think about it. She leaned in and kissed him again and for a few blissful minutes, nothing was on her mind- not her aunt, not her family history, nothing but George Weasley.

"You can make me forget anything like that." He said after they stopped. She laughed at this and he pulled her into his lap. They sat kissing on and off for another hour when the curtains suddenly moved apart and Hermione Granger exclaimed in shock.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry! Just wanted to know if you're coming for dinner." She said, her eyes wide and immediately looking away. After the initial moment of shock, she couldn't help but smile smugly and Jade rolled her eyes at that.

"We'll be there." George replied, grinning, his arm draped around Jade's body, still.

"Right. Well, see you two then." She said awkwardly, rushing to the staircase. The two grinned at each other and finally began to make their leave.

Jade stood up first and George followed, and then proceeded to kiss her again. She was appreciating how his body felt against hers when the voice of Vera interrupted them.

"FINALLY!" They turned to the curly haired girl standing there with a smug expression and a comical stance- one hand on her jutting hip as if she was posing for a camera.

"It's about time! You really took your time didn't you?" She said, shaking her head at George who looked amused.

"I know, I know." He replied, putting an arm around Jade and looking to her content face.

"It was perfect though." Jade said, hugging him.

"Well, I'm happy for you kids. It's been too long." She said, starting down the staircase. The couple laughed and followed her to the Great Hall where- at the Gryffindor table- Hermione sat next to Harry and Ron chattering until she made eye contact with Jade. Then, she blushed and looked into her plate while Ron wolf whistled and Harry grinned at the pair.

"Words out." Vera said, rolling her eyes.

"Good." George replied with a smirk, moving to where Fred and Lee were a couple people down. The pair looked up at George and Jade to greet them but Fred's gaze lingered on his twin.

"Where have you two been?" He asked, his tone teasing.

"Just having a chat." Jade replied, piling food onto her plate. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was. George was glad to see the return of her appetite after quite a while. Lee and Fred looked suspiciously on as George failed to put anything on his plate until after Jade had started to eat. Their suspicions grew when his gaze didn't lift from her as the conversations went on- it was as if nobody else was present. While their arms around each other was old news- the two acted as if they were together (save for the snogging) for quite a while now- there was a new energy which his twin couldn't quite place.

He pulled George aside after dinner as Jade conversed with Lee about upcoming Quidditch matches and glared him down.

"What's going on? What's happened between you two?" Fred asked, crossing his arms as George's sheepish smile gave him up instantly.

"You kissed her!" Fred nearly shouted to which George grinned even wider. Fred's eyes widened as he embraced his twin proudly.

"So you really did it! About time mate!" He said, clapping his twin on the back.

"So everyone's been telling me." George replied, laughing at his twin's enthusiasm. Jade and Lee turned back to see what the commotion was about and Fred's wide grin and cheeky wink caused her to laugh. Lee looked back and forth in confusion.

"They snogged mate. It finally happened." Fred said, causing Jade's eyes to widen as she blushed and George punched his twin in the stomach before going up to her. He put his arm around her and they walked away from Fred and Lee's gagging noises.

"I'm glad it finally happened." Jade said, looking up at his content face.

"So am I, love." George replied, kissing her forehead and pulling her closer to him again.


End file.
